Champagne Doyard-Mahé
Vertus
Doyard- Mahé
The family has an illustrious history of grape growing in Champagne spanning four generations in the Premier Cru village of Vertus, locate at the southern tip of the Côte des Blancs
Carole Doyard’s great-Grandfather, Maurice Doyard was the co-founder of the CIVC in 1941. The winery was founded in 1970 and it is situated at the old family home, the Moulin d’Argensole, since 1952. The family built the house, which is surrounded by one of the most beautiful gardens around with a roaring creek running through it. The winery sits on an adjacent lot and the cellars are modestly located under the family home.
The well-know wine writer Richard Juhlin singled them out for high praise as well.
The Doyard-Mahé wines are blended for pressing and vinification in stainless steel,all go through malo-lactic fermentation and are finished completely independently in the Doyard-Mahé cellars.
Which means that the Doyard-Mahé wines are a monocru expression of pure Vertus Premier Cru.
The estate has 6 hectares of Chardonnay (90%)and Pinot Noir (10%) vines producing 60.000 bottles a year practicing ‘viticulture raisonnée’. With the exception of the Rosé all of their Champagnes are made with 100% Chardonnay grapes. They manage to keep the acidity at an incredibly high level, which gives the wine great finesse, elegance and a crisp mineral quality.
This is a Champagne House run by women. Carole is in charge with the help of her mother, Martine Doyard, and her aunt Odile. Her father, Philippe Doyard, keeps a low profile! The Extra Brut’s are featured in the Guide Hachette with 2 stars and received great write-ups.
Mr Juhlin wrote in his recent book, Le guide ultime:
Carole Doyard is proud of her great grandfather Maurice Doyard who founded the CIVC in 1941. Today they have 6 hectares of vineyards in Vertus, with 90% Chardonnay grapes, pure Champagne produced in stainless fermenting vats with temperature control, and applying malolactique fermentation. I am really happy: they have succeeded in creating a Chardonnay in Vertus with a fine and slightly grilled flavour, while in other houses this wine is a bit round and not mineral enough.
Owners: Carole Doyard
Website: champagne-doyard-mahe.info
Winemakers: Carole et Philippe Doyard
Vines: 6 Hectares.
Age of Vines: Average age 35 years, Range 10 - 75 years
Ageing on the lees: 3 years NV, 4-.6 years Vintages
Annual Production: 12,000 6 pack cases
This is a family enterprise producing a fantastic example of a true terroir Chardonnay Blancs de blancs, elegant, beautifully balanced and complex with a wonderful flinty mineral quality that is unusual for the village. Low dosage and long aging on the lies (Cellar aging with the sediment still in the bottle) allow the wines to develop the delicate aromas and depth of flavour they consistently provide.
