Champagne Caillez Lemaire | Damery, Vallée de la Marne

For centuries, Caillez Lemaire have strived to promote their affection for their terroir, comprised of numerous plots along the banks of the Vallée de la  Marne, embodied in their cuvées and marked by the intensity of their flavours.
 

Raymond Caillez and Andrée Lemaire were born into families in the wine-growing business since the 18th century. They were driven by a sense of independence, determination and creativity, and became wine-growers/producers themselves, founding their brand at the ages of 22 and 20 years respectively.
 

Following in their footsteps, Annie and Henri Caillez have further developed the domain, handing down their skills to Virginie and Laurent Vanpoperinghe who today uphold the values of their family Champagne house.

Caillez Lemaire strive to ensure that their grapes express the best of their terroir. They promote biodiversity and healthy root systems through the use of alternative methods that allow the propagation of ground cover between the vines and careful ploughing of the soil.
 

They excluded the use of insecticides many years ago. In 2014, they obtained recognition for these efforts by receiving HVE Certification (High Environmental Value). After eliminating the use of chemical weed killers, they began the process of conversion to organic farming which they will be fully accredited for the 2023 harvest.
 

As environmentally conscious growers they have a responsibility to the natural ecoystems and the impact of their actions. They are especially concerned about preserving the quality of water, which is so susceptible to chemical residue.
 

Furthermore, they have discovered that an approach in favour of restoring the flow of nature reinforces the complexity, freshness and identity of the wines.

Their vineyards consist of the following grape varieties: 2.5 hectares of Meunier, 2 hectares of Chardonnay and 1.5 hectares of Pinot Noir.

Sincerity is essential for them: this means offering their customers a wine for which they have controlled every stage of its production, starting with the vineyards where they do everything in their power to obtain a good quality harvest.

Independence has always been a key concept for their family; it is also the motto of the Vignerons Indépendants network of which they are a member.

Caillez Lemaire’s vinification techniques (no filtration, no fining, no malolactic fermentation, temperature control, etc.) leave an impact on their Champagnes. 

40 % of their wines go further still, bearing the strong influence of oak barrels. The barrels allow the wines to fully express themselves and highlight their complex, rich aromas. They are stored in a cool environment, in cellars, which enables the juice to ferment slowly and develop a very long finish. This vinification also helps them to keep their plots separate and create more precise blends.
 

Furthermore, their oak barrels are natural products which are handcrafted and only require water, air, fire. These are the reasons why they have decided to use even more oak barrels in the future. 

Sitting mainly on the right bank of the Vallée de la Marne, Caillez Lemaire vineyards benefit from the warm, sunny location.

Their vineyards are very fragmented: from east to west, they begin in Hautvillers, with thier oldest plot, planted by their great-grandfather. They follow on to Cumières, then Damery, where the majority of the plots are situated and where the family house was built in 1825.
 

They continue to the North, with plots of land on the heights of Fleury-la-Rivière. Across the Marne River is their only vineyard in Vauciennes.
 

Thirty-seven plots are spread out over five villages, each marked by a different terroir. A few of their vines are in the northern sector, and many of them offer a superb view of the river as it winds its way down the valley.
 

The nuances found in the subsoil and soil contribute to give Caillez Lemaire wines their character. They navigate from the attributes of chalk on thin top soil to clay-rich soil of various depths, and through complex mixes of silt and sand with an occasional intermingling of clay.