Villers-Marmery, an island of Chardonnay in a sea of Pinot Noir
I am Mathilde Margaine, a winegrower in Villers-Marmery.
I grew up here, among the vineyards and cellars of our family estate. Today, I work alongside my father, Arnaud, with a simple aim: to continue this story while refining our understanding of the village.
Our family has grown vines in Villers-Marmery since 1796.
Here, Chardonnay accounts for almost the entire vineyard and takes on a distinctive expression: precise and saline, driven by citrus fruit and a natural tension we seek to preserve in every wine.
Since 1796
The history of the Margaine family is inseparable from Villers-Marmery.
In 1921, André Margaine gave his initial to the estate. The “A.” remains on every bottle today. Then came Gaston, Bernard, Arnaud and now me.
Each generation receives an inheritance, allows it to evolve, then passes it on. Today, my father and I work side by side.
Over the years, Arnaud shaped a style built on freshness, precision and length. I continue that work by deepening our understanding of our parcels and of what each site brings to the wine.
Two generations, two perspectives, one direction.
1796
First generations of Margaine winegrowers in Villers-Marmery
1921
André Margaine gives his initial to the estate
Gaston
Bernard
Arnaud
Mathilde
Parcel by parcel
Villers-Marmery cannot be reduced to a single profile.
Exposure, soil depth and vine age: a few metres can be enough to change the expression of a Chardonnay.
Les Alouettes, Les Champs d’Enfer, Chemin de Verzy, Les Grands Arbres, Lévoies…
We follow each site with increasing precision, in the vineyard and in the cellar.
Some parcels give rise to cuvées of their own.
Others remain essential to our blends.
All contribute to the identity of the estate.
From vine to wine
Our work always begins with observation.
The estate has used no herbicides since 2000. In the vineyard as in the cellar, we adapt to each parcel and each vintage rather than applying a single method.
Parcels are pressed and vinified separately when their identity warrants it. Malolactic fermentation is generally avoided in order to preserve tension, freshness and energy.
Depending on the cuvée and its origin, we favour stainless steel or oak, with ageing tailored to each wine.
Time is also part of our work.
Caractère is built around a perpetual reserve begun in 2002, while our single-parcel cuvées aim instead to capture one place in one precise vintage.
Two different approaches to the same vineyard.
Our parcels
Villers-Marmery
A distinctive Chardonnay on the Montagne de Reims
When we think of the Montagne de Reims, we often think of Pinot Noir. Villers-Marmery is an exception.
Our vineyard is planted to approximately 98% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Noir, on slopes mainly facing east and south-east. Beneath nearly 90 cm of topsoil lies the chalk of the Montagne de Reims. This depth of soil contributes to Chardonnay’s particular expression here: substance without heaviness, citrus fruit, persistent freshness and a saline line.
Here, Chardonnay has an expression of its own.
That is the Villers-Marmery I want to express through our wines.
The A. Margaine signature
Citrus.
Freshness.
Salinity.
Tension.
Texture.
These markers often run through our wines, but our signature does not come from a recipe.
It comes from our soils, our parcels, our Chardonnay and the time spent trying to understand them.
Our work is simply to let that origin reveal itself in the glass.
Villers-Marmery in our wines
Each cuvée offers a different reading of the estate.
Some bring together several parcels and several years.
Others focus on one place, one vintage or a particular style of ageing.
Yet they all begin from the same point.
Villers-Marmery.
98% Chardonnay · 2% Pinot Noir · 27 parcels · east / south-east exposure
Chardonnay
Alouettes - Bas Leury - Bayons - Boblins - Broccots - Champs d'Enfer - Charmois - Chemin de Verzy - Clos - Crayères - Croix de Fer - Cugnets - Essaires - Grands Arbres - Lévoies - Montmedy - Moulins - Péchins - Ruelles - St Bets aux Bois - Vignettes - Vivandes - Voie des Prêtres
Pinot Noir
Bourbons - Cugnets - Levoies - Queue des Loges
