Domaine Nowack

Located in Vandières, in the beautiful Vallée de La Marne, Domaine Nowack is a family winery that has seen some big changes in the last decade, particularly with the introduction of Flavien Nowack, who joined the family winery in 2011 and has slowly taken over the reins of operations.

As in most generational successions, changes are slow and must reflect the general philosophy of the company. Having been established in Vandières since 1795 and involved in Champagne production since the late 1900s, Flavien has a deep respect for his family’s legacy, which means he has always preferred to make changes from within rather than jump on trends every year. His first goal was to show the difference between Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from three individual plots at the same altitude, all in his home village of Vandières.
The soils are very varied, but predominantly sandy and clayey. Today, he vinifies 6 cuvées from 7 hectares of vineyards.

To translate the minerality and energy of his terroir, Flavien lets his wines be exposed to the right level of oxygen in the cellar and started a major tree planting campaign in 2018. He has since replanted more than 100 trees in and around his Crus. The grapes are pressed slowly and for a long time (he developed a special technique with his electrician uncle) and most of his wines are aged in barrels on the lees, allowing them to evolve with the season. During secondary fermentation, each bottle is bottled under cork, allowing the wine to absorb some oxygen and, for Flavien, a more pristine taste. Dosage, if necessary, is done with grape must, which helps maintain freshness.