Brothers Frederic and Rodolphe Minière are quietly making some of Champagne’s most interesting, soulful, cerebral, and absolutely delicious cuvées.

Frederic’s “a-ha” moment came after working with the legendary Anselme Selosse, son of Jacques Selosse and... Read More

Brothers Frederic and Rodolphe Minière are quietly making some of Champagne’s most interesting, soulful, cerebral, and absolutely delicious cuvées.

Frederic’s “a-ha” moment came after working with the legendary Anselme Selosse, son of Jacques Selosse and one of Champagne’s most influential vignerons. Anselme, bored with the rote formulas that existed for so-called “great”Champagne in the 1980s, found inspiration in an unusual locale: Spain, in the winemaking provinces of Rioja and Jerez.

He saw great promise in the long barrel aging program at Rioja’s López de Heredia and Jerez’s tradition of solera aging (a near-constant blending of different barrels of aged wines that allows sherry houses to craft perfectly-balanced wines). He began implementing aspects of these production methods back home in Champagne, and began inspiring a new generation of Champagne Growers, including Frederic Minière, who worked a few harvests chez Selosse.

Frederic found these revolutionary practices of long barrel aging (and organic farming) irresistible, but wasn’t able to implement them at the family estate until the brothers took over for their father in 2007. In the vineyard, they immediately began conversion to organic farming and to strictly limit yields. In the cellar, they said adieu to any stainless steel vessels and committed to a fully barrel-fermented and aged lineup.