Rousseaux-Batteux: Family, Vineyards & Philosophy

Rousseaux-Batteux: Family, Vineyards & Philosophy

The Rousseaux family has farmed vines in Verzenay since the late eighteenth century. Paul Rousseaux began bottling in the early twentieth century, his son Michel expanded the cellars, and Denis with his wife Laurence Batteux founded the Rousseaux-Batteaux estate in 1976. 

Since 2012 their son Adrien has run the domaine, farming 2.5 hectares across Verzenay, Verzy, Louvois, Villers-Marmery and Celles-lès-Condé. The holdings include many old vines, some over fifty years, all which are managed without herbicides or insecticides. 

Adrien vinifies each parcel separately, raising wines in oak barrels with new wood capped at around ten percent. Long élevage on lees and extra brut dosages allow site and season to speak clearly.

Les Échaudées Celles-lès-Condé NV

A half-hectare parcel of Pinot Meunier planted in the early 1980s provides fruit for this cuvée. Fermented and aged entirely in barrel, with ten months on lees before tirage, it is disgorged after a further three years of bottle ageing. Dosage 5 g/L. The result is a textured yet vivid Meunier Champagne, rich in orchard fruit with spice and savoury depth from oak.

Les Chauffours Verzenay Grand Cru 2019

This steep, south-facing chalk parcel of Pinot Noir yields grapes of concentration and structure.The 2019 vintage was vinified partly in oak and aged on lees for around 40 months before disgorgement at extra brut levels. It shows dark fruit, mineral precision and tannic backbone, with the depth to age a decade or more.

Les Champs Brûlés Rosé de Saignée Verzy Grand Cru 2019

Pinot Noir from high-altitude Verzy undergoes brief maceration to achieve its colour and structure.Vinified in barrel, then given three years on lees, this saignée rosé is bottled at extra brut. The wine offers intense raspberry and blood orange with a vinous, gastronomic texture that rewards pairing at the table.

Le Mont Louvois Grand Cru 2019

Old vines, some planted as early as 1961, planted across the deep chalk south facing slopes of Le Mont in northern Montagne de Reims.  Vinified & matured in old oak, it was finally disgorged after three years on lees with 3g/L of dosage.The wine is powerful yet harmonious, combining redcurrant, spice and chalky tension.