Vigneron Thibaud Brocard is the fifth generation of Champagne Pierre Brocard to work his family vineyards near the village of Celles-sur-Ource in the Seine river valley, known as the Barséquanais area of the Côte des Bar, the southernmost subregion of Champagne. Vineyards are entirely estate-owned and farmed organically with both northern and southern exposures.

The Champagne Dits-Lieux is an assemblage of 75% pinot noir, 20% pinot blanc, and 5% chardonnay grapes hand-harvested from 10 estate vineyards planted on Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone soils. The harvest base is 2022 (70%), with 30% of the wine from a multi-vintage vin de réserve solera, which was started by Thibaud’s father, Pierre, in 1991. 30% of the new vintage is added and withdrawn each year. Thibaud works non-oxidatively and notably utilizes nitrogen in the winery to protect his tanks and solera, which helps him keep the use of sulfur dioxide in the winery to the absolute minimum while preserving fruit and vineyard expression. Dits-Lieux spends an average of 18-24 months on the lees in bottle before release, giving it an excellent quality-to-value ratio.

Cuvée Dits-Lieux Brut Nature is dominated by the red fruit of pinot noir and offers beautiful harmony and freshness on the palate, lightly framed with notes of brioche. It is a vinous and substantial Champagne with great freshness and no heaviness, making it an ideal wine to enjoy solo or with food.

Vinification – Grapes are manually harvested and gently pressed in a vertical Coquard press. Only the heart, or the cœur de cuvée, of the first pressing is utilized. Primary fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts, 90% in stainless steel tanks and 10% in 300L French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is natural and spontaneous, and the wines are not filtered or cold-stabilized. After secondary fermentation in bottle, the wine ages on its lees for 18-24 months before disgorgement, bottled non-dosage (brut nature) with 2g/L residual sugar.

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