Champagne Geoffroy

CUMIERES, CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE

Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy is a fifth generation grower in Champagne, and his attention to detail and care for his vineyards is very admirable. He has an environmentally friendly approach to his vineyards, using no chemicals, before the fruit is pressed in a traditional wooden press. Each of his 45 parcels of wines are vinified seperately, and fermentation is with wild yeasts.

Although these are outstanding Champagnes, and very drinkable, a better way to look at these are fine wines with bubbles. They age beautifully - put their non vintage away for a few years and you'll get something fantastic - and he is constantly getting plaudits for his wines from the great wine critics.

The family have been in Cumieres since the 17th century, but it was in the 1950s when Roger Geoffroy and his wife Julienne started making their own wine. Their son René took over when his father died young, and Jean-Baptiste came in at the end of the 1980s. In 2008, the biggest move was when the winemaking facilities were moved to the town of Ay, but quality hasn't changed - well, except getting better!