Etienne Sandrin is a vigneron, happiest in his vineyards! Every so often you meet people for the first time and straight away you are so overcome by their passion and their work that time stands still, this was the case on our first visit. There is a sense of old Fashion and traditional values for example Etienne sends all allocations in writing by post. An old fashion twist, delightfully refreshing in today’s fast paced environment. Along with the allocations he sends a depiction/description of the year that went by, what they have been working on, any additions to the range and how they feel!

Etienne takes his precision from his previous life as a jurist while Anne was an agricultural engineer. They took over from Etienne’s father in 2006 when he retired.  The work at the 10 hectares Domaine was already on the slower pace with use of horses but the treatments applied were far from natural. In 2014 they converted everything to organic followed by biodynamic in 2015.

They aim to produce a total of 15,000 bottles a year, a quantity which you can quickly calculate as not resonating with 10 hectares of vines. It’s because they keep the heart of every plot and sell the rest to local growers – négociants who are also practising biodynamics. The Sandrins do not want «green washing». The lucky few are Champagne Fleury, Bertrand Gauterot of Champagne Clandestin.

All the Sandrin wines are vinified in stainless steel. They want the terroir to be able to breathe/to be expressed, avoiding any oak patina. Both Val Champignat and Mouille-Brant are extra brut 100% Pinot Noir; the former dominated by minerality, the latter richer and more complex. A Travers Celles, is coming from 3 different plots, 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Blanc. This gives a good impression of the varied terroir of Celles-Sur-Ource, which is worth noting is the village with the most Vigneron Recoltant in the whole region of Champagne. Champagne Etienne Sandrin sits comfortably at the tip of the pyramid.