Rooted at Ludes-le-Coquet where the vines have been grown since the Middle Ages, independent wine grower Alain Brixon continues his elders' tradition and savoir-faire. Musicians or music lovers, they all favoured art de vivre. Alain Brixon signs Premier Cru terroir wines of character that draw the bon viveurs.
A kind of austerity reigns in the grindstone-built village Ludes-le-Coquet since the war. The Brixon-Coquillard house painted in pink with its windows opening to the Reims Mountain whose sides are covered with Premier Cru vineyards prefers to see life through rose-tinted … bottles. These wine growers from father to son since four generations produce onsite with vigour and pugnacity Champagne bearing their name.
Champagne requires much means, care and time to reach fullness. The Brixon-Coquillard vineyards are exclusively situated in the Reims Mountain, mainly at Ludes-le-Coquet (95%) and also at Rilly and Ecueil. It is planted with the three grape varieties. Champagne Brixon-Coquillard contrast in different points with their neighbours for the responsible care they provide their vineyards and lands with and for the ultra rational farming of their vines (50% less sanitary products used), and at last for the water savings achieved thanks to the new service station at the entrance of the village, open since July. It filters and recycles the washing effluents.
Another specificity: Alain and his wife undertook a lot of plot selections. For the vinification, they separate each grape variety and some thirty plots according to their sun exposure, their situation (mountain, mid-slope and plain) and the type of soil (calcareous and clayey, or calcareous source rock). And work them in small vats. The vines formerly grafted by massal selection are 30 years old on average and give grapes with body and material. Vinification is operated in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats and the wine once bottled stays at least two years in the cellars. The latter, 5 meters below ground, have been dug in winter, with the family, by hand with a pick axe in the calcareous source rock! Nowadays they form a maze of small galleries, naturally thermo-regulated at 11°C.
Alain appreciates wines that display finesse and fruitiness, and crafts wines he likes! For blending, his nose guides him, he is interested in the olfactory profile of the wine. “As long as I do not get floral notes in the Blanc de Blancs for example, I am not satisfied and I go back to work again again.” To him, the cuvée just for pleasure is the Blanc de Blancs, produced from sun-drenched old vines, a wine filled with savoury white fruits, with a very salty finish, presented in a black Italian bottle with a plump basis and an oval label set with an Art Deco-style frieze to sublimate its character. To celebrate an event, he rather chooses the Prestige cuvée, a blend of eleven plots of Pinot Noir—the oldest dates back 1972, the youngest 1990—and 5 plots of Chardonnay. It ages in the cellars at least four years. “It embodies the soul of our house, with its notes of fruits, roasting and spices and it has a long ageing potential.” It is also presented in a special bottle.
Privilege of the festive wine: Brut Rosé 1er Cru, blended with Brut added with 18% red wine stemming from very old Pinot Noir vines. The bottle is silk-screened with a decor by artist Pascal Millet, a reference to the Roaring Twenties when the house was founded. This Champagne shows crips fruits and provides the palate with a pure taste of morello cherries and blackcurrant.
Alain Brixon loves festive bottlings, music, jazz, swing, life. “My mother used to sing very well, my wife plays clarinet, I play trombone, my three daughters play transverse flute, piano and violin.” Music is the art of combining sounds. Champagne also plays its crystal-clear music, when it is poured in the glass, but it rather comes within the art of setting out the scents and flavours. The viticultural Champagne region is musical and counts many orchestras and harmonies. Beside his musical virtuosity, Alain Brixon is an important figure in the village of Ludes. For three terms he has been the deputy mayor and he now is the president of the authorized syndical association that is entrusted with the management of the water resource for viticulture in the area!
Marie-Caroline Bourrellis
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