Exploring the Heart of French Wine: Ryan's Journey through Champagne and Chablis
- Ryan Bair
- May 21
- 14 min read
In this two-part travel diary, Ryan recounts his time spent exploring some of the most famed wines of France and Germany. He starts off with the wines of Champagne and Chablis. Find part two here.
Part One: France
February 3rd 2025
A Journey Through the Heart of Champagne: From Paris to Épernay
My arrival to Paris signified the start of something special, and something that I have been looking forward to for a long time now. I pick up my rental car at Neuilly Porte Maillot, where my two-hour journey into Champagne began.
The weather was very cold, and frost had started to appear as I was leaving the Paris city limits. Only 10 minutes into the countryside, a thick layer of fog took over rendering my visibility only to the car in front of me.
I was surrounded by this fog until I was directed on to a small one lane countryside road lined with tall trees.
As the trees dissipated behind me, the first sight of vines appeared, and just as I started coming down the slope, the road sign told me I was entering the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, where some of the greatest Chardonnay in Champagne is grown
The roads curved through the slope, bringing me to the center of the village, where my first appointment was.
Champagne Pierre Peters
Champagne Pierre Peters was my first stop, and I was greeted by Laurence Appert, who kindly showed me around the main building of the Chateau. She poured four Champagnes for me to try in their new tasting room, screaming with opulence.
She first poured their entry level Cuvée Réserve, which you might have seen on our shelves last year! This wine is so beautiful and represents everything I love about Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. There was so much fresh elegance balanced by depth and power. It is one of the best value champagnes in my opinion.
Secondly, she poured their Cuvée Millésimée L'Espirit, which is a blend of four single vineyards located in Le Mesnil, Avize, Cramant, and Oger. This was even more elegant than the Cuvée Reserve, showing more finesse and chalky minerality.
Finally, she poured their single-vineyard Champagne Les Chetillons Cuvée Spéciale. This was a powerhouse of a wine. As they don’t use oak, they rely on extended lees aging and only the highest quality of fruit to create a dense, expressive, and intense wine that has smoky and spicy characteristics. The finish was massive, and it was a pleasure to try.
A short and sweet tasting, but a good one. She then took me outside and showed me a brand new vineyard that they planted outside of the main Chateau, basically in their backyard.
It is not able to be classified as a Champagne vineyard, and they are still throwing around ideas as to what to do with the grapes—most likely will be made into a Vin de France bottling.
I hopped back in my car and got lost a bit in the village as I was looking for a vineyard that makes wine geeks tear up at the thought of it: the Clos du Mesnil, a monopole vineyard owned by Champagne Krug.
Once I found it, I strolled through the tiny public park that overlooks it and took a minute just to stare.
After sitting there for some time and eventually trying to see if anyone was home (with no luck sadly) in the unmarked building in which Champagne Krug makes their wines, I started driving towards the city of Épernay.
When you drive into Épernay for the first time, you are greeted by towering, immaculately decorated Champagne houses with all of the biggest names that you could think of. It is humbling to see how much wealth is on that one street, Avenue du Champagne, where all of these houses sit.
My Airbnb was situated right across the street from Champagne Pol Roger, and had views facing out into the vast vineyards that surround the city center.
Unfortunately, it was so foggy that they couldn’t be seen. Oh well, time for dinner. I was starving, and was extremely excited to try a spot in Épernay that I’ve been keeping my eye on.
I didn’t keep my eye on it too well, it seems, as I didn’t think to check if any restaurants were even open. Closed. Same with every other restaurant in the city, so if you’re traveling to Épernay, keep in mind that basically everything is closed on a Monday.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was completely a blessing in disguise. I opened the app “Star Wine List” (if you don’t have it, do yourself a favor and get it- it organizes all of the best wine lists that restaurants and wine bars offer) and found that a place called the Glue Pot was open late, in the city of Reims- capital of Champagne.
I walked through the eerily quiet city of Épernay towards the train station, and arrived in Reims after a 30-minute ride.
The decor of the restaurant was interesting. Think old English pub with sports playing on the TVs. However, I was greeted with one of the most complete wine lists with a divine-looking food menu.
The staff were extremely knowledgeable and due to an earlier recommendation by my friend Joey Fox (you may know him from Old Westminster Winery!!) I went for a bottle of Etienne Calsac Les Rocheforts to pair with some snails in a mushroom and garlic butter sauce.
The base wine for this is 2001 (!!) and it was searing with freshness still. Super small grower, mega delicious wines. Also, any pubs out there that are listening: learn from these guys and use Zalto glasses. I made my way to the Airbnb for the night as I had an early drive in the morning.
February 4th 2025
From Champagne to Chablis: Foggy Roads to Unforgettable Wine
The fog hadn’t dissipated yet, and I was about to embark on another two-hour drive, this time towards the tiny village of Lignorelles in the Chablis region. The GPS took me on plenty of dirt roads, which was quite scary in such dense fog. Small village after small village, I finally arrived in Lignorelles.
Domaine Roland Lavantureux
My next visit was to Domaine Roland Lavantureux, where I was greeted by David Lavantureux. He enthusiastically showed me the winery and cellar, where the 2024s were maturing in steel and barrel.
After the tour, we made our way to the tasting room to try all of the recently bottled wines from the Domaine. We started off with their Petit Chablis, sourced from vines around Lignorelles.
As the Chablis classification hasn’t changed since the 70s, certain vineyards show more promise than their original classification.
This Petit Chablis was a prime example of that, which was just as complex as the normal Chablis we tried next. Lovely acidity, tons of citrus, and so much chalky minerality. Yum. We tasted a new wine for the Domaine, which is a Bourgogne Tonnerre. Tonnerre is a small appellation about a 20-minute drive away from Chablis. The wine showed so well.
We tasted through some premier cru vineyards and then ended the white portion with their flagship Grand Cru Vaudesir bottling.
There was so much concentration and power, but with a weightlessness that was so mouthwateringly sublime. David then pulled out their newest wine—a Pinot Noir sourced from a single vineyard plot in Epineuil that has been in the family for generations, but was just recently revived after sitting for years by Arnaud and David.
The wine showed a touch of extremely well-integrated reduction with a savory and earthy nose balanced by laser-sharp bright red fruits. The acidity was intensely delicious. A real winner for sure.
After our tasting, David sent me away with some wine, which I am very excited to dig into back in the USA. I then drove to the town of Chablis, where my Airbnb was for the night.
The town is so picturesque, with a quaint river flowing through it and epic steep vineyards surrounding it. Lunch was at Les Trois Bourgeons, where I would be introduced to the extremely affordable wine prices here… 2018 Vincent Dauvissat Séchet 1er Cru was the choice of course.
This was next-level stuff. 2018 was quite a hot vintage and this wine didn’t have any problem with it. Massive concentration right out of the bottle with so much intensity when it comes to minerality, acidity, and tropical fruits. Everything had integrated so well and I was buzzing that I even got to try it, let alone enjoy it over two courses of lunch.
Chef Takeshi Otomura moved to Chablis from Tokyo in 2016 and started this establishment, infusing his own touches into Burgundian cuisine. The result? Insane. Every flavor was so perfectly balanced, and there was a refreshing amount of personality in each dish.
Feeling great after lunch, wondering if I’ll ever have food that good again, I decided it was time for a little hike. As all of the most famous Chablis vineyards surround the town, it is quite easy to venture up into the vineyards for a romantic view of the town itself.
The 7 Grand Crus of Chablis are one stretch of steep slope facing the town, and Les Clos perhaps holds the most breathtaking view of the town below.
Chablis is known for its Kimmeridgian soils, made up of small fossilized oyster shells from millions of years ago when this region was underwater. Hmmmm I wonder why Chablis pairs soooo well with seafood??
I walked around the vineyards for hours, admiring the subtle (and sometimes not subtle) differences between each row of vines, which belong to different growers. Some choose to farm with pesticides and herbicides, while others don’t. The difference is staggering.
As I watched the sunset, I was getting hungry again, but more importantly, I was getting thirsty for some more Chablis!
One of the only restaurants open for dinner was the Burgundian staple Le Maufoux, the sister to the restaurant under the same name in Beaune. Their goal? Great local food and a bone-chillingly affordable list of legendary wines that in the USA would cost the same as your mortgage payments.
The owner, Ivan, buys directly from the producers and takes little margin. He’s friends with all the best. I was in heaven. I’ve been waiting for this moment for some time now, the opportunity to order one of François Raveneau’s Grand Cru bottlings at a restaurant.
The 2018 Valmur was a pretty great one to start with. I talked with Ivan quite a bit and after some careful consideration, he pulled out a bottle of something to go well with the main course, seared duck breast.
He mentioned that this was the last bottle he had, and that it would be a perfect fit.
Domaine Nicolas Faure was the producer. I had never heard of him, and I was a little skeptical about ordering a straight-up Bourgogne Rouge at such an amazing place.
I was put in my place immediately. This was bottle 145 out of 578. Without a doubt, this was the most ridiculously delicious and character-driven Bourgogne Rouge I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying. It doesn’t even do it justice to write tasting notes, you just have to believe me.
If you’re ever lucky enough to come across these wines, jump on them.
Halfway through my meal, another table across the room sent a glass of something my way for me to try. I thought that the hedonism would have stopped, but the glass was Coche-Dury’s Bourgogne Blanc. It will be very VERY difficult to taste Bourgogne-level wines after these two. Mind-blowing, exceptional, dream-worthy wines.
The table invited me to join them for the rest of the time at the restaurant. They were wine importers based in New Jersey and New York, their company is called “Skin Contact Wines.” Go check them out.
We all shared our wines with each other and managed to close the place up. Ivan offered that we could buy a bottle from their special list, which is usually one bottle only, but his wife was going into labor that night and wanted us to head out with something special so that he could go meet her. I invited them back to my Airbnb, where we chatted about everything until late hours.
Below is the lineup— I couldn’t have dreamed a better one.
February 5th 2025
Exploring the Vineyards: From Celles-sur-Ource to the Côte d’Or
For some reason that morning, I was quite similar to the weather outside. Foggy. However, the day that was waiting for me would send immediate amounts of energy and liveliness towards me.
The shortest drive so far took me an hour north east of Chablis, where I arrived in the tiny little town of Celles-sur-Ource in the Côte des Bar, the furthest southern reaches of the Champagne region.
Champagne Brocard Pierre
Here, I would meet a winemaking hero of mine, Thibault Brocard of Champagne Brocard Pierre.
Immediately, his passion and drive resonated and I knew I was in the presence of someone special. He came rushing out of the house instructing me to get into his van. We sped up the hillside to a viewpoint looking over the Côte des Bar.
He explained the region to me perfectly, emphasizing that his soils are the crossing point of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or and Chablis. He explained everything with such energy and enthusiasm.
We then drove to his plots, on a steep slope of a valley. He explained that 2024 was a rough year in the Côte des Bar. The weather was so bad that some producers didn’t even harvest a single grape, leaving them to only use reserve wines for this year’s release- if they're lucky enough to have some.
He grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on these slopes very responsibly. He managed to harvest around 20% of his vineyards, he was lucky not to have lost everything. We raced back down the slopes to the winery, where he showed me the simple setup he has, as there is little to no intervention in the winery.
He showed me his philosophy, which he has jotted down on a door in chalk. He wanted to emphasize the linear way of thinking about natural wine, and where he fits on that line. He leans more natural, but if he needs to intervene to save his crop or wines, he makes sure to retain his high levels of quality. He showed me his beautiful basket press that sends juice downstairs via gravity directly into tanks.
Due to the low yields in 2024, only three of his tanks were full of juice. Around 15-20 massive tanks stayed empty. He showed me his gyro pallet that automatically riddles wines before disgorgement, and then we went upstairs to taste.
The humble tasting bar was so charming, and he was so excited to show me the wines. He was sold out of many of his cuvées, so we only tasted his biggest productions.
The wines were killer. So saline, so fresh, so vibrant, so so so delicious. It is such a treat to be able to sell these wines. For all of you who love his Saignée Rose, he’s incredibly thankful for your support!! I invited him to come to MWWS whenever he possibly can.
We said our goodbyes after the tasting, and it was time for me to make my pilgrimage to the Côte d’Or.
I drove for two hours to arrive at the mouth of the Route des Grands Crus, a road that goes through the middle of the slopes of the Côte d’Or, where all of the greatest vineyards known to humans exist.
I started my journey south in Marsannay, where I got lost many times through the tiny back streets.
It is such a beautiful and quaint town that sets you up for the legends that lie down the road.
Next up was the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. My poor car was turned off and on again, maybe a thousand times, for me to get out and feel the land and experience the vineyards firsthand. My first ever Côte de Nuits Grand Cru wine was a Chapelle-Chambertin, so this was quite special for me.
Workers were in full force doing their winter pruning, which helps prevent diseases and also controls the yields for the growing season.
There are tiny little grill-looking things where they put the pruned wood to burn. It smelled amazing there, by the way. Every farmer I passed waved and smiled at me, reminding me that this was an incredibly different wealth to the Avenue du Champagne.
Morey-Saint-Denis is the next village on the route, where I would pass some legendary wineries and more legendary vineyards with some pretty gnarly vines.
Clos du Tart had some of the craziest looking vines, almost like an army of scarecrows.
Next up, the village that means the most to me.
The village of Chambolle-Musigny’s vines create some of the most beautifully elegant and perfumed wines on the planet.
Yet, they are deeply concentrated and hedonistic in all fronts.
Also- seriously?? 50km/hour on that road?? It seemed like a racetrack of white winery vans.
In this village, a very special producer to me makes some of my absolute favorite wines. You may have heard me rambling on about the wines from Jacques Frederic Mugnier, and if you’re lucky enough, maybe you’ve tried some! We have it in our store, don’t worry- it’ll be there for you whenever you’re ready. It was amazing to see the building of his winery, but no time for appointments in Burgundy, sadly!
On the border of Chambolle Musigny and Vougeot is the Musigny vineyard, which some say is the pinnacle of all vineyards, with nothing more desirable in the world. I had to see it for myself. It is epic to say the least, with an unbeatable view of the Chateau de Clos Vougeot. One day, Ryan, one day.
The drive then took me through Vosne Romanée, where I made peace with the vineyards farmed by the Domaine de la Romanée Conti, and of course dreamed of the day I might be able to try their wines.
I was then directed through the town of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which was a larger town than I thought it would be.
The town is lined with restaurants and wine stores all advertising that they do tastings. There are even some modern-looking buildings sprinkled between the ancient white stone.
At the end of Nuits-Saint-Georges is a monopole vineyard owned by Mr. Mugnier called Clos de la Maréchale (yup!! That’s the one we have), and I have been itching to finally see it in person. It’s the single wine that convinced me that I could work with wine full-time for the rest of my life.
After Nuits-Saint-Georges, the buildings start to sprawl more as the city of Beaune starts to emerge in the distance.
Traffic built up drastically and the medieval city center isn’t the most car friendly—but who frickin cares?? It’s so beautiful and unique. So much energy for such a small city.
South of the Beaune city limits starts the Côte de Beaune, and I notice it is starting to get dark. Because of that, I fast-tracked to some of the places I wanted to visit the most. A quick stop off in Volnay was first to pay homage to another personal favorite, Domaine Michel Lafarge.
The view over the slopes from Volnay is incredible, as the tiny village is perched up on the hillside. And consists of a small restaurant, a church, and many wineries.
The drive then took me all the way down to the most sought-after white wine vineyard in the world, Le Montrachet. After driving through Ladoix, Meursault, and Puligny-Montrachet, I finally arrived and just took it all in.
The sun had set basically at this point and I was alone in every direction. This is close to a religious experience, to know the history and lore behind this vineyard.
I finally sat down for one of the most exquisite meals of the trip, a gourmet ham and cheese sandwich from the gas station 50km before reaching Burgundy, but I was sitting on the walls of Chevalier-Montrachet, so it was as amazing as it could get. Yum.
After I finished my sandwich, I started to head towards Paris, a three-hour drive from Le Montrachet, where I would meet a good friend of mine for a small vacation. Paris traffic is a nightmare. My rental car and I had bonded so much over these few days, and even with mounds of mud all over it, no cleaning fees were charged!!!! Heck yeah!
February 6 2025
Paris. Good food, good wine, lots of walking.
February 7 2025
Journey to Beaunay: Visiting Margot Laurent's Sustainable Vineyard
After receiving an email that Margot Laurent from Champagne Oudiette x Filles was available to see me for an appointment, I rushed to get the 8:20am train from Paris to Épernay. When I got to Épernay, I hopped in a taxi that drove for 30 minutes through the middle of nowhere to arrive at our smallest village yet: Beaunay.
Champagne Oudiette x Filles
Margot walked me to her vineyard, where she farms the grapes for the wine that we sell, Sablonnières. She was in the middle of winter pruning, but the vines that were finished were immaculately neat and ready for the growing season. She farms responsibly, avoiding anything that could harm the biodiversity in her soils.
She took me back to the house that she just recently bought for the winery for a tasting of two Champagnes. They were so good. So much energy and drive, with insane salinity and super fine bubbles. High-class champagne at affordable prices makes us very, very happy.
She has been making wine in a cooperative a 5-minute drive from Beaunay, and is in the middle of moving her equipment to her new house, where she held the tasting. Exciting things to come!!
She was kind enough to give me a ride into Épernay after the tasting, and we talked about lots of very interesting topics. She taught me so many things about the region and how it operates.
Finally, that was what I thought was the end of my wine trip in Europe, until I got quite a shocking message after returning to London after spending some more days in Paris... More on that here!
Ryan Bair
February 14 2025
London UK
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