From the atlas
Champagne Chavost
A Chavot-Courcourt cooperative making fresh Brut Nature Champagne through spontaneous fermentation and no added sulfites.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Region | Champagne, France |
| Village | Chavot-Courcourt |
| Main grapes | Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier |
| Signature wine | Blanc d'Assemblage Brut Nature |
| Defining feature | Spontaneous fermentation without added sulfites |
The Producer
Champagne Chavost is a cooperative in Chavot-Courcourt made up of multi-generational growers. Fabien Daviaux leads the winemaking after studying oenology and spending more than ten years making wine internationally.
The house makes Brut Nature cuvées with a fruity, fresh profile and candied notes. Its two principal wines, Blanc d'Assemblage and Paradoxe, show different approaches to Champagne blending, from a single vintage to a reserve wine cuvée.
Place
Chavot-Courcourt lies south of Épernay in the Côteaux d'Épernay sub-region of Champagne. The cooperative works across chalky limestone and richer clay limestone, with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier both represented in the range.
The village ground changes from pale, chalky parcels to heavier clay-limestone holdings. That variation gives Chavost more than one vineyard setting for its sparkling wines.
Soil And Site
Chalky limestone drains readily while retaining enough moisture for the vines, and Chavost's chalky-limestone parcels are best suited to Chardonnay. The richer clay-limestone ground includes an 80 are clay plot.
The soil contrast begins with grape choice. Chardonnay is linked to the chalky ground, while the clay-limestone holdings add a different physical setting to the cooperative's vineyard base.
Story
About 20 growers founded Chavost in 1946. The cooperative now comprises over 70 multi-generational growers, bringing family vineyard holdings into one shared cellar.
That collective model remains visible in the wines. Chavost's range is organized around cuvées and cellar choices made from cooperative holdings rather than one family's single estate parcel.
Vineyards And Cellar
The cooperative's own certified organic holdings comprise 5 hectares, with additional parcels cultivated by member growers. The vineyard includes chalky limestone, richer clay limestone, and an 80 are clay plot.
Alcoholic and malolactic fermentations proceed spontaneously, without commercial yeasts or enzymes. The wines are made without additives or added sulfites. Blanc d'Assemblage spends an extended period on lees in stainless steel, while Paradoxe is vinified in 4,000 liter barrels and stainless steel tanks before ageing 18 months on lees.
Wines
Chavost's two cuvées show two forms of Brut Nature Champagne. Blanc d'Assemblage is the flagship single vintage wine, made from 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Meunier.
Paradoxe is a reserve wine blend from 2019 through 2023, made from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Meunier. It is Chavost's first blend of reserve wines in the classic Champagne fashion. Brut Nature means there is no dosage, so the finished wine receives no added sugar at that stage.
In The Glass
Blanc d'Assemblage opens with white and pink flowers, yellow apple, lemon, and a faint caramel note. The palate brings crunchy green and yellow apple, pear skin, and grapefruit pith, with crisp orchard fruit, brioche, and saline minerality extending through the finish.
Paradoxe opens with brioche, toasted pastries, and ripe pear. Fine mousse and good acidity carry a round palate toward a bright, salty finish marked by minerality.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Blanc d'Assemblage Brut Nature. It is Chavost's flagship single vintage cuvée, fermented and aged in stainless steel with extended lees contact and bottled without dosage.
The wine presents the house's single vintage format before Paradoxe introduces reserve blending and barrel ageing. Stainless steel keeps the vessel neutral, while lees ageing adds texture to the mousse and allows the Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier blend to remain at the centre of the bottle.
Anecdote
In 2019, Fabien Daviaux took over Chavost at age 30. He convinced the cooperative's member growers to move to organic farming and to make wines without additives or sulfites. Earlier releases had come from single vintages. Chavost then introduced reserve wine blending for the first time with Paradoxe, changing the range from single vintage releases to a cuvée built with reserve wines.
Final Word
Chavost brings cooperative grower farming into a pair of Brut Nature cuvées. Spontaneous fermentation, no added sulfites, stainless steel, and reserve wine blending define the house's two contrasting formats.
Sources
- https://www.cepage.uk/post/an-interview-with-fabien-daviaux-of-champagne-chavost
- https://gismondionwine.com/tasting-notes/202108/champagne-chavost-blanc-dassemblage-brut-nature-nv/?note=35766
- https://www.terrestrialwine.com/chavost
- https://chambersstwines.com/blogs/articles/new-champagne-chavost-cuvee-paradoxe
- https://whwc.com/chavost-brut-nature-champagne-paradoxe-nv/
- https://gismondionwine.com/tasting-notes/202108/champagne-chavost-blanc-dassemblage-brut-nature-nv/
- https://grainvine.com/products/chavost-blanc-d-assemblage-brut-nature-champagne
- https://wildwines.us/products/champagne-chavost-assemblage-brut-nature
- https://we-love-bubbles.com/champagne-chavost-paradoxe