Domaine Hadrien Houbert Chenas ‘En Champagne’ is an aromatic and fragrant wine made from 100% Gamay. It is lighter in style with red fruit and strawberry notes, crunchy pomegranate, spice and vanilla aromas. There is a lovely floral note to the wine that adds elegance and finesse. The wine goes through semi-carbonic maceration and is matured in barrel for 12 months. Interestingly, Hadrien harvests this vineyard based on acidity levels rather than phenolic ripeness. It’s a windy south facing plot that is difficult to manage in hot years, so he finds this a better approach to retain the freshness he wants in the wine.

Founded by Hadrien in 2020, Domaine Hadrien Houbert is very much one of the new kids on the block and is no more than an extension of Hadrien’s house in La Vivier near Fleurie. Unfulfilled by his previous career as a high-end cabinet maker and inspired by working his in-law’s vineyards in Champagne, he decided to take the plunge and acquired 3.4 hectares of vineyards in Beaujolais. The vineyards are spread across several of the famous Crus - Chiroubles, Chenas and Morgon, along with Beaujolais Villages. Hadrien’s farming is about as Biodynamic as you’ll get with a horse drawn plough and experimental practices which includes straw mulches to reduce soil temperatures in the summer and agroforestry. All this, plus as little intervention as possible in the winery along with classic semi-carbonic maceration helps Hadrien obtain the light, fresh yet intense style he is looking for with plenty of aromatics and finesse.