By Ema Lynnx
Behind its luminous robe and precise effervescence, the Blanc de Blancs of Champagne Thiénot It tells a story of much more than a grape variety. It reveals the history of a family-run House born against the grain, committed to the purity of the fruit, to knowledge of the terroirs and to a resolutely contemporary vision of Champagne.
The bubbles rise steadily, fine and sparkling, while the nose reveals lemon, citrus fruits, and a mineral sensation reminiscent of fresh chalk. Even before the first sip, the Thiénot Blanc de Blancs Champagne announces its intention: to express Chardonnay without artifice, with precision, energy and elegance.
On the palate, the attack is lively, almost chiseled. The effervescence accompanies the wine without ever overpowering its structure. It gives it movement, then gives way to a persistent freshness and an impression of great clarity. This champagne seeks neither opulence nor a spectacular effect. Its strength lies in its balance and in this controlled lightness that naturally invites one to linger over the wine.
Chardonnay at the heart of the Thiénot style
Le Blanc de Blancs belongs to the Origin CollectionThe range is presented by the House as the most immediate expression of its identity. Freshness, finesse and purity of fruit form its foundations, with a signature that Thiénot describes as spring-like, airy and taut.
Made exclusively from Chardonnay, this cuvée pays homage to a grape variety capable of combining vivacity, delicacy, and depth. The House does not seek to transform it, but rather to accompany its truest expression. wine It thus retains a great aromatic clarity, dominated by citrus fruits, lemon and orange blossom, while the palate is distinguished by its refreshing character and dynamic effervescence.
The blend is primarily composed of Chardonnay grapes from the Côte des Blancs, an emblematic terroir whose chalky soils impart tension, purity, and verticality. Grapes from the Vitry region and the Montagne de Reims, notably from Trépail and Villers-Marmery, complete the composition. They lend the wine greater roundness and lusciousness, while preserving its fresh character.
This complementarity allows the Thiénot Blanc de Blancs to avoid two pitfalls: overly austere acidity or, conversely, an excessively rich texture. The wine develops with precision, yet retains a suppleness that makes it immediately approachable.
A vintage crafted with patience
The main base of the blend comes from the 2021 harvest, accounting for 85%. This is complemented by 15% reserve wines from the 2018 and 2019 vintages. These earlier vintages bring continuity to the House style, but also a subtle depth that supports the natural freshness of the Chardonnay.
After complete malolactic fermentation, the wine was bottled in April 2022 and then aged for over three years in the cellars on Rue des Moissons in Reims. Its dosage of 4 grams per liter preserves its taut and precise profile, without making the tasting experience austere. Served between 7 and 9°C, the wine gradually reveals its finesse and balance.
Thiénot has also been using the "jetting" method for over ten years, a technique they claim to have pioneered. During corking, a small amount of wine is sprayed into the neck of the bottle to create a foam that displaces the oxygen inside. This technique helps limit oxidation and reduces the need for sulfites.
Behind the apparent clarity of the wine lies a precise technical work, guided by a constant priority: preserving the aromatic integrity of the grape.
A House born from an intimate knowledge of the vineyard
The story of Champagne Thiénot officially begins in 1985. However, its roots go back much further, to the journey of...Alain Thienot.
For nearly twenty years, he worked as a Champagne wine broker. He traveled the hillsides, met the winemakers, and selected grapes destined for the major historic houses. This experience allowed him to acquire a detailed knowledge of the crus, the plots, and the personalities that shape the Champagne vineyards.
His family history was already intertwined with champagne. His father had managed Maison Irroy, while his grandfather, a glassmaker, crafted bottles. So, when Alain Thiénot founded his own house, he wasn't starting from scratch. He combined a family legacy, expertise in the wine trade, and a personal ambition: to create champagnes that prioritize elegant freshness, finesse, and a balance of nuances.
At a time when the major Champagne houses already benefit from several generations of history, launching a new Maison is a bold gamble. Thiénot chose not to imitate the established players. The Maison is gradually building its own identity, one that is more contemporary, family-oriented, and independent.
Thirty hectares to preserve autonomy
Over the years he spent in the vineyard, Alain Thiénot built up an estate of approximately thirty hectares. This includes parcels classified as Grand Cru in Aÿ and in the Côte des Blancs, as well as Premier Cru in Dizy, Cumières and on the slopes located south of Épernay.
This arrangement now allows Champagne Thiénot to source more than half of its own grapes. This significant proportion for an independent Champagne house provides greater control over quality and invaluable continuity in defining its style. External sources supplement this base, primarily grapes from Premier and Grand Cru vineyards located in the historic slopes of Champagne.
Blanc de Blancs is directly linked to this knowledge of origins. Behind the generic term Chardonnay lies a more complex map, in which each sector plays a role: the Côte des Blancs provides tension, the Montagne de Reims brings roundness, and the Vitryat contributes to the aromatic balance.
Nicolas Uriel, guardian of balance
Since 2017, Nicolas Uriel has held the position of Cellar Master at Champagne Thiénot. An agricultural engineer and oenologist, he joined the House in 2008 to manage supply relationships with the winegrowers. This initial role allowed him to develop a practical understanding of the terroirs, the partners, and the specific qualities of each harvest.
Today, he oversees winemaking decisions, composes blends, and manages both inventory and production. His work relies as much on analysis as on sensory memory. He must understand the personality of each wine, anticipate its evolution, and envision the harmony it can create with the reserve wines.
The blending process then becomes an exercise in precision: choosing from different crus, grape varieties, and vintages to recreate, despite climatic variations, the consistency of the Thiénot style. The family remains closely involved in this stage, through tastings and guidance given to the different cuvées.
A new generation in charge
Garance and Stanislas Thiénot They continue today the story initiated by their father. Each brings to the House their own sensitivity and their own journey, but both share the same desire: to preserve the family identity while opening up new territories of expression.
Their approach can be summed up in the formula chosen by the House: "Dare, a family trait." This audacity is manifested in the way they imagine their cuvées, create artistic collaborations, and bring champagne into dialogue with other contemporary worlds.
The Family Collection reflects this personal dimension through champagnes bearing the first names of its members: the Stanislas, Garance, and Alain Thiénot cuvées are primarily sourced from the House's own Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. They offer deeper and longer-aged expressions than the cuvées in the Origine Collection.
The Special Release collection takes this creative freedom even further. It includes Vigne aux Gamins, a single-vineyard cuvée produced in Avize in only a few thousand bottles, as well as limited editions and artistic collaborations. To celebrate Thiénot's fortieth anniversary, the House has also selected three Blanc de Blancs from its wine library: vintages 2015, 2016, and 2017, made exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards in Cramant and Oger.
Two kilometers of cellars beneath Reims
The quest for freshness that characterizes Blanc de Blancs is reflected even in the equipment chosen by the House.
From the outset, Alain Thiénot decided to install a temperature-controlled stainless steel vat room to better protect the aromatic purity of the wines. While this technology seems widespread today, at the time it reflected a particularly modern approach to Champagne winemaking.
Beneath the historic headquarters on Rue des Moissons, two kilometers of cellars house the bottles stored on their lees. Some vintage cuvées can age there for up to sixteen years, in the silence and darkness necessary for their slow evolution.
This relationship with time offers a different perspective on the Thiénot style. The freshness sought by the House is not synonymous with premature youth. It can be based on many years of maturation, provided that the precision of the fruit and the balance of the blend are preserved.
From aperitif to table
Thiénot Blanc de Blancs naturally finds its place as an aperitif. Its vivacity complements cheese gougères, parmesan pastries, and delicately savory canapés. But the wine possesses enough structure to transcend this initial register.
Its tension and minerality complement seafood, pearly cod, or simply roasted langoustines. With a slice of grilled salmon dressed with lemon oil, the pairing plays on the wine's ability to cut through the richness while prolonging the citrus notes.
The tasting can continue with a lightly sweetened dessert, featuring lemon, pear, or white fruits. A lemon meringue pie will create a direct echo of the wine's aromatic freshness.
Its restrained dosage and precise structure make it first and foremost a gastronomic champagne. It is not simply meant to accompany a celebratory moment: it finds its place at the table, complementing the dishes and textures.
No. 3, the House that became a destination
With the N° 3Located at 3 rue du Marc in the historic center of Reims, Champagne Thiénot now gives a physical and immersive dimension to its identity.
The site brings together historic cellars, a visitor trail, tasting areas, a rooftop terrace, and a boutique. Tours are offered daily, focusing on the House's two main collections, Origine and Famille. They combine a tour of the cellars, a presentation of the winemaking process, and a guided tasting of the wines.
The address also includes The No. 3 by Champagne Thiénot, a five-star boutique hotel housed in a historic building. It features twelve rooms and a suite designed by architect Loïc Thiénot, as well as a spa. Member of Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldThe establishment extends the wine tourism experience in a world combining Reims heritage, contemporary design and confidential hospitality.
This evolution reflects a broader ambition: no longer just to introduce a champagne, but to invite visitors to enter the world of the House, to understand its choices and to experience Reims as a cultural and gastronomic destination.
A freshness that tells a story
Thiénot Blanc de Blancs possesses the rare quality of being immediately accessible while progressively revealing the complexity of its construction.
Its pale color, lemon notes and lively effervescence offer immediate pleasure. Behind this first impression, however, lie several decades of experience, a precise knowledge of the terroirs, a thirty-hectare family vineyard, meticulous blending work and more than three years of maturation in the cellar.
It also expresses the personality of a House that has made audacity a tradition: that of Alain Thiénot when he decided to create a new champagne signature in 1985, then that of Garance and Stanislas when they choose today to make wine dialogue with art, design, hospitality and wine tourism.
In the glass, however, this story is never told with emphasis; it reveals itself in a delicate bubble, a chalky tension and a fresh finish: a precise and luminous Chardonnay, faithful to the discreet elegance of Champagne Thiénot.
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