Richard Royer

Richard took over from his parents in 2007 and works with 13 hectares mainly in Balnot sur Laignes with some vines in Fontette and Gye sur Seinne. He commenced the practice of Terra Vitis, a sustainable viticucultural ethos, in 2011 which he feels is the best way to meet quality and ecology.

He works with gravity from a standard press and has started to use the Taille as needed. He is trying to reduce suphur contact. All his wines undergo malolactic fermentation. He uses large oak barrels for his reserve wines and smaller barrels for the alcoholic fermentation of his Chardonnay for the Vintage cuvee.

I rather stumbled across this producer on a trip to the Aube and found a fun, warm and opulent style of wine. Dominated by a smoky Pinot Noir of the region the wines ooze grapefruit, orange and redcurrant notes with a lovely minerality especially in their Caractere Blanc de Noirs. Which maintains an impressive level of tightness and control on the palate.

Their Reserve Brut, an 80/20 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay shows this typical Pinot note along with some sherbet and orange, and a nicely balanced confected note.

The Rose Brut, an 85/5 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with the addition of 10% red wine, shows a lovely soft pink. Notes of copper and dried strawberries, and a nice complexity to the mid palate layered with clementine.

The Mlle Jeanne Brut 2008, a 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, showed a noticeable touch of oak (the Chardonnay being vinified in small oak casks) but brings you all the classic flavours of citrus and reducurrants with an impressive acidity that grows with each glass.

A good producer from Balnot sur Laignes. The future will show us whether this slightly new approach will bear a significant change in fruit.