2020 Vadin-Plateau "Carac'terre" Premier Cru Brut Nature, Champagne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

A blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from Hautvillers Premier Cru, i the Vallée de la Marne. The soils here are majority clay and limestone. The base vintage for this Champagne is from 2017.  Fermentation is is completed utilizing indigenous yeasts. After fermentation, the wine is aged in 60% oak and 40% stainless steel vats sur lattes for 60 months. No malolactic fermentation. Aged under a traditional natural cork stopper (tirage sous liège) during secondary bottle aging instead of a standard metal crown cap, allowing micro-oxygenation and greater complexity.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Vadin-Plateau is a small, family-run grower Champagne estate based in Cumières in the Grande Vallée de la Marne, with winegrowing roots dating back to the late 18th century. Today, the domaine farms around seven hectares spread across seven villages, including Cumières, Aÿ, Hautvillers, and Damery, with vineyards planted primarily to Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, alongside Chardonnay. The estate produces Champagne entirely from its own vineyards, allowing the family to maintain close control from vine to bottle.

The domaine has evolved considerably in recent years, particularly under ninth-generation grower Yann Vadin, who returned to the family estate in 2012 and helped push the vineyards toward organic and biodynamic farming. In the cellar, individual grape varieties, villages, and parcels are often vinified separately, with fermentation taking place in stainless steel, oak barrels, and occasionally clay or stoneware vessels. Indigenous yeasts, low or zero dosage, and minimal intervention are central to many of the estate’s terroir-focused cuvées.