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de Bichery
When Raphaël Piconnet and his wife Hannah took over the family estate in Neuville-sur-Seine in 2015, they immediately converted to organic viticulture. Their inspiration: Vouette & Sorbée, also home to Drappier. Today, Domaine de Bichery ranks among the most sought-after addresses in the region.
Eight hectares of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier are fermented with wild yeasts, aged in barrel, bottled without dosage and with minimal sulphur. Just 5,000–15,000 bottles per year.
More about de Bichery
From Bichery to Bichery
Raphaël Piconnet grew up on the Lieu-dit Bichery in Neuville-sur-Seine. His grandfather Charles tended the vineyards on the slopes above the meandering Seine for decades. After apprenticeships in various French wine regions – with a stopover in Switzerland – Raphaël returned in 2013. He had worked in Burgundy, Alsace and the Jura, bringing back these diverse experiences. During the 2012 harvest, he met Hannah from East Frisia. What began as harvest help became a life partnership: in 2015 they vinified their first Champagne.
One Parcel, One Wine
The principle is radically simple: each of the 8 hectares in Neuville-sur-Seine and Gyé-sur-Seine tells its own story. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grow on the limestone-rich soils of the Côte des Bar – that southern Champagne region which long stood in the shadow of the Montagne de Reims. Since February 2019, the estate has held Ecocert certification. Spontaneous fermentation, maturation in used oak barrels, neither fining nor filtration – Raphaël and Hannah give their wines time.
The Côte des Bar Renaissance
With a maximum of 12,500 bottles annually, de Bichery is amongst the smallest producers in the region. Yet what emerges here has resonance far beyond Champagne. In the Côte des Bar, Olivier Horiot and other pioneers are also working towards a new understanding of Champagne: wines that convey not style, but origin. The Les Terres Mêlées literally weaves together the various soils into a cuvée that bears the name: Mixed Earths.
Brut Nature as Statement
All Champagnes from de Bichery are bottled as Brut Nature – without dosage, without corrections. What remains is pure grape, pure terroir. The La Source springs from the source vineyard above the village, the Les Fontaines Rosé shows Pinot Meunier in its finest expression. Each bottle matures for at least 24 months on the lees. Hannah and Raphaël have proved: even from East Frisia, one can reimagine Champagne.