From the atlas
Champagne Fernand Lemaire
Hautvillers Premier Cru house in its fourth family generation, cultivating Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier under Hélène and Benoît since 2022.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Region | Champagne |
| Village | Hautvillers |
| Status | Premier Cru village |
| Vineyard | 6 hectares |
| Main grapes | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier |
| Signature wine | Tradition Rosé Brut |
| Defining feature | High Environmental Value certification |
The Producer
Fernand Lemaire began with equipment and a cellar. He invested in his own press and first vats, then had a cellar dug into chalk. Champagne Fernand Lemaire is a family house in Hautvillers, a Premier Cru village, now managed by Hélène and Benoît, Fernand's great grandchildren, who assumed leadership in 2022.
The house is in its fourth generation of family ownership and cultivates the three classic Champagne varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier. Its production joins a family cellar tradition to a range of white and rosé sparkling wines.
Place
Hautvillers is the Premier Cru village at the centre of the house. Premier Cru is a village classification within Champagne's vineyard hierarchy. Tradition Brut carries fruit sourced entirely from Hautvillers Premier Cru vineyards, while Tradition Rosé Brut uses Pinot Noir red wine from Cumières Premier Cru.
The two village names enter different parts of the range. Hautvillers supplies the white wine origin for Tradition Brut, while Cumières supplies the red wine component used in the rosé.
Soil And Site
Tradition Brut comes from clay limestone soil in Hautvillers Premier Cru vineyards. Clay can hold water through dry periods, while limestone allows drainage, giving the vines two different influences on water supply.
In sparkling wine, the base wine carries the vineyard origin before the second fermentation creates the bubbles. The soil therefore belongs to the source of Tradition Brut, before the cellar work shapes its final form.
Story
Since 2022, Hélène and Benoît have managed Champagne Fernand Lemaire. They are Fernand's great grandchildren, placing the current house leadership with the fourth family generation.
The vineyard holds High Environmental Value certification, and the estate is associated with sustainable viticulture. The present management chapter combines named family leadership with a certified approach to vineyard work.
Vineyards And Cellar
The estate covers 6 hectares and cultivates Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier. Its vineyard holds High Environmental Value certification, a French certification concerned with environmental performance in farming.
Tradition Rosé Brut follows traditional vinification and rests for at least 24 months on its lees. Lees are the spent yeast cells left after fermentation. Contact with them over time can add roundness and bready notes while the wine develops in bottle.
Dosage is the small addition made after disgorgement to set the final sweetness. Tradition Brut carries a dosage of 7 g/L, while Tradition Rosé Brut carries 7.8 g/L.
Wines
Two Tradition cuvées organize the documented range. Tradition Brut is a light gold sparkling wine with fine effervescence, made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir, and 33% Meunier.
Tradition Rosé Brut is pastel pink with light salmon tints and lively effervescence. Its composition joins Chardonnay with Pinot Noir red wine from Cumières Premier Cru, giving the range a rosé cuvée alongside the equal part white blend.
In The Glass
Tradition Brut has a subtle nose of ripe white peach. The palate is harmonious, with delicate apricot and peach, hints of brioche, and chalky minerality. The fruit sits alongside the chalk derived character described for the wine, carrying the finish beyond simple sweetness.
Tradition Rosé Brut is refreshing, with citrus scents and red fruit aromas. Its profile is built around freshness and fruit, with the red wine component accompanying the Chardonnay base.
A Bottle To Understand It
Open Tradition Rosé Brut first. It is made from 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir red wine from Cumières Premier Cru. The bottle puts the house's white grape base beside a red wine component from a named Premier Cru village.
Tradition Rosé Brut is positioned for an aperitif or with fresh marinated salmon. The composition and pairing place its grape source, village source, and table role in one cuvée.
Anecdote
In 1903, Fernand Lemaire produced the first Champagne bearing his name. His parents, Jeanne and Eugène, had been cultivating a few vines beginning in 1860, while Eugène was first and foremost the village blacksmith. Fernand chose to make wine independently. He invested in his own press and first vats, then had a cellar dug into the chalk. The first Fernand Lemaire Champagne followed in the same year, after Fernand had taken the work from pressing through cellar production into his own hands.
Final Word
Champagne Fernand Lemaire is a Hautvillers Premier Cru house where Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier meet family management and a chalk dug cellar.
Sources
- https://champagne-fernand-lemaire.com/en/
- https://www.champagne.fr/en/visit-champagne/directory-champagne-producers/champagne-fernand-lemaire
- https://fr.gaultmillau.com/en/wineries/fernand-lemaire
- https://champagne-fernand-lemaire.com/en/history/
- https://champagne-fernand-lemaire.com/en/produit/tradition-rose-brut-2/
- https://champagne-fernand-lemaire.com/en/produit/tradition-brut/
- https://www.vino.com/en/dettaglio/champagne-brut-rose-premier-cru-aoc-fernand-lemaire.html
- https://www.winemonthclub.com/fernand-lemaire-tradition-champagne-brut-nv