Who makes it
Champagne Hervé Dubois is based in Avize, in the Côte des Blancs. Its house style emphasizes freshness and minerality, with citrus aromas and a direct, lively palate. The range includes Brut Tradition, Réserve Blanc de Blancs and Millésime Blanc de Blancs 2018.
Hervé Dubois chose to leave malolactic fermentation unfinished in certain Chardonnay vats. Malolactic fermentation converts sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid; blocking it preserves more acidity and mineral character. The practice is selective, applying to particular vats rather than every wine. It gives the house a cellar choice with a direct effect on the finished Champagne.
Where it grows
Avize is one of the five villages classified Grand Cru in Champagne's Côte des Blancs. Grand Cru is a village classification, so it describes the status of the source community within Champagne's vineyard hierarchy rather than naming a grape variety. Avize gives the house a Grand Cru setting closely associated with Chardonnay.
The Millésime Blanc de Blancs 2018 comes from one selected Grand Cru plot planted in the 1960s, in clay soil. Clay can hold water in the root zone, while a single plot fixes the wine's source to one defined piece of ground. The site is bottled as a vintage Blanc de Blancs rather than as a broad house blend.
How it is made
The cellar
The house farms 6.5 hectares. The holdings include 3.5 hectares of Chardonnay Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs, 0.5 hectare of Chardonnay Premier Cru in the Reims Mountain, 1.5 hectares of Pinot Meunier and 1 hectare of Pinot Noir in the Marne Valley.
Hervé Dubois practices integrated viticulture, limiting inputs and working the soil. The vineyards therefore combine a Chardonnay base in Avize with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and additional Chardonnay from other Champagne areas.
What they make
Brut Tradition is the broad blended cuvée. Réserve Blanc de Blancs is the principal cuvée, made from Chardonnay alone. Millésime Blanc de Blancs 2018 is the vintage bottling, with malolactic fermentation blocked in 70% of the yield.
The range moves from a blend of Champagne grape varieties to Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs wines, then to a vintage bottle with a specific Grand Cru source and a selective cellar choice.