Winegrowers’ portraits Ludes
MAISON PLOYEZ-JACQUEMART
Traditional winemaking methods and French
art de vivre
This small, family-run wine trading house was established in 1930 by Marcel Ployez and his wife Yvonne Jacquemart, at Ludes, 15 km from Reims. Champagne Ployez-Jacquemart is today owned by the Prieux Group, and run by Laurence Ployez, the granddaughter of the founders.
Bold and determined, she employs traditional winemaking methods to produce superb wines that are served at the best restaurants in the world, thanks to a number of discerning sommeliers. Twenty-five years ago, in 1988, Laurence opened her doors to wine tourism, to provide foreign guests with an introduction to Champagne winemaking and tasting, and to the French
art de vivre.Laurence Ployez is the worthy descendant of her father, whose legacy was excellence and who taught her the rudiments of the profession during her childhood, from grape harvest to disgorging. She grew up and developed a passion for gastronomy, and went to work with Lesley Stowe, a celebrated caterer, in Vancouver, British Colombia. Throughout her “cookery” years she met the top sommeliers, with whom she has maintained excellent relations. And so Ployez-Jacquemart Champagnes are served at the best restaurants in the world, such as Daniel’sand Jean Georgein New York; the Domaine de Chateauvieux in Savigny, Switzerland; the Bel Airand the
Beverly Wilshire Hotelin California; the Pyramidein Vienna; Larivoire at Rillieux-la-Pape and the Domaine des Crayèresin Reims, since their opening.
Laurence Ployez-Jacquemart explaining her winemaking methods, painted on canvas.
“When I was young”, she confesses, “I loved gastronomy, I also loved fine wines but we rarely drank wine at home, only some truly great wines. I came back to help my father with the winery in 1988, to work on the harvest, learn about winemaking hands-on and I was forced to catch up quickly because he died in 2002. I run the winery today, but I am still the Cellar master. I am the one who makes the decisions in the vat-house about the winemaking and the jobs to be done. I work with sommeliers who appreciate the quality of the Ployez- Jacquemart vintages, and the fact that it is consistent over the years.
The care taken with the grapes and the winemaking methods have not changed for 80 years. Ployez-Jacquemart produces 100,000 bottles a year, from its own predominantly Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vineyards in the Premier and Grands Crus villages of Ludes and Mailly Champagne, and a Chardonnay vineyard in the premier cru village of Vertus. It also procures Grands Blancs from other winegrowers, both from the Montagne de Reims and from Côte des Blancs.
My method of winemaking demands precision throughout. The modus operandi is the following: I take in the grape juice and the grape musts are left to settle twice before fermentation. After two days, when the fermentation process begins, I place the best of each harvest in oak casks to allow these Champagnes to undergo alcoholic fermentation in wood and develop highly complex aromas.
I make use of natural winter precipitation, and, like my father, I allow the wine to mature very slowly neck down, with manual riddling. Some of our vintages are left to age in the bottle for a minimum of ten years, with the bottles inverted, to keep the contact with the yeast to a minimum and retain freshness. When it is time for disgorging, all my vintages are dosed as Extra Brut, which has been a signature of the brand since its origins.
Laurence Ployez-Jacquemart in her wine storehouse.
The Maison Ployez-Jacquemart commercialises six cuvees, three of which are vintage blends. The jewel in our range is calledLiesse d’Harbonville 1998. It is only produced in exceptional years, aged in oak casks for six months, then in the wine cellar for more than ten years, to bring out the quintessence of the year while maintaining extraordinary freshness. This premium Champagne even benefits from decanting, for an explosion of aromas!
I am a true winelover. In my production, I am seeking the mineral qualities and fruit notes with crisp aromas, expressing a natural balance between mineral and acidity, so that they remain vibrant. I also enjoy sharing my passions, which is why I created the Villa Champagne, Ployez-Jacquemart
inside my former family home, which has been restructured, refitted and redecorated to provide our guests with modern comforts. The visitors we receive are in love with the French art de vivre and keen to share our passion for wine and the ancestral skills of the House”. The estate offers five rooms, all with en suite bathrooms, and a view of the garden with flowers; very restful and quiet. Guided tours lasting one hour are available during the day, morning and afternoon, including a visit to the winery and wine cellars, an explanation of the winemaking process, finishing with wine tasting. As the winery is relatively compact, an understanding of the winemaking process can be gained in a short time. Some of the most famous resorts or restaurants, such as the Domaine des Crayères, regularly send us customers eager to find out more about how Champagne is made.
According to the comments left on Tripadvisor by past guests –
“It's the best guest house I know. The décor is magnificent, the view, the guest rooms and the breakfasts were all fabulous” – this is an address to note.
Marie-Caroline Bourrellis
Champagne Ployez-Jacquemart
8, rue Astoin - 51500 Ludes – France
Tél.: +33 (0) 3 26 61 11 87
www.ployez-jacquemart.fr
