Interview: Meet Maison Mahieux, a Committed Winemaker in Champagne
The menu, designed like a harmonious score, blends textures, aromas, and the freshness of the champagne with inspired creations:
AMUSES-BOUCHES
Gougères & Organic Oysters No.2 Marennes Oléron — natural and warm with seaweed butter
Oyster-free option: Aburi Hamachi, lightly seared half-raw fish
STARTER
Chicken Tsukune, perfect egg, and leeks stewed in cream
FISH DISH
Japanese Buri confit, herb sauce, and organic market vegetables
CHEESE
Brillat-Savarin
DESSERT
Mount Fuji with chestnut cream
The dinner is offered at €110, including two glasses of Champagne Mahieux.
On November 18, in the presence of the winemaker and producer, discover the champagnes of Maison Mahieux and enjoy exclusive cellar prices for your end-of-year orders.
Join us at La Table du Caviste Bio for a rare experience where tradition, naturalness, and refinement meet in perfect harmony!
Before this special week, we interviewed Benoît Mahieux, who explains his champagne, methods, and history. He will be present on November 18 at La Table du Caviste Bio.
How did you become a winemaker?
I naturally took over the family estate: I am the third generation to work our lands in Fontaine-Denis-Nuisy, in the Marne.
After studying at the Champagne Viticulture High School in Avize, I settled in 2010 when my parents retired.
What is the history of the estate?
Originally, my grandparents were farmers — agriculture and livestock — before planting the first vines in the 1960s–1970s. The Sézannais vineyard is young, and at that time mechanization gradually replaced animals.
My parents then continued their careers in so-called “conventional” viticulture.
When I took over in 2010, with Émilie and our children, we also inherited my uncle’s farmland. Very quickly, we chose to work differently:
– we let the so-called “weeds” grow,
– we use copper instead of chemical pesticides,
– we adopt a global approach to respect all living things.
In 2018, we took the step to become certified organic. Today, our approach is almost inspired by my grandparents’ methods before the major changes of the 1970s: polyculture, eco-grazing, vitiforestry, beekeeping… A visit to our lands often says more than words.
What makes your estate unique? And your winemaking methods?
The most visible feature: our vineyards are grassed all year and grazed by our animals for five months annually.
Our estate is small, which makes me a harvest-cooperator. Being the only certified organic winemaker in the cooperative, my wines are vinified separately, allowing me to offer a champagne made 100% from my own juice.
We hope that the estate’s unique spirit is reflected in every bottle.
Since when and why have you been organic? Any challenges?
The only challenge at first was external perception. Doing things differently is sometimes seen as “doing it wrong.” But this only strengthened us.
In truth, we haven’t faced major difficulties: on the contrary, working close to nature is a joy. Collaborating with our animals, producing our own honey… it’s a source of pride.
The only caution, perhaps, is to stay grounded: the core of the job remains producing enough grapes to sustain the estate.
Which champagnes do you produce and what are their characteristics?
We currently offer four cuvées:
- L’État Brut: Chardonnay – Pinot Noir blend, with a woody, atypical character.
- Dentelle: 100% Chardonnay.
- Pépite: 100% Pinot Noir.
- L’Or Normes: Chardonnay – Pinot Noir blend, reflecting the full elegance of the estate.
Our labels are also unique: made from recycled paper containing grape seeds, each highlights a plant we sow in our vineyards (clover, radish, sainfoin… with more to come).
