Upon our arrival, Fabien Cazé is in his cellar, just outside the village of Venteuil. His cellar, or rather his paradise as he calls it. Acquired in 2022, this long vaulted corridor from the 19th century, nestled under the chalk on rue des Crayères, which we discover after a somewhat steep descent, is the new winemaking cellar of Champagnes Cazé-Thibaut. Recently illuminated, it allows us to spot some bats clinging to the rock's asperities. The mention of the slope at the cellar entrance is relevant because Fabien Cazé does not ferment his juices where he presses them. Every harvest, after crushing his grapes in the Coquard automatic inclined plate press located in Châtillon-sur-Marne (shared with his partner), he transports his clarified juices to start the spontaneous alcoholic fermentations in barrels... before bringing them back up to bottle! A laborious process that, as we will see, does not diminish the quality of the wines.
In 2007, Fabien Cazé took over his father's vines, which until then had been contracted to the Châtillon-sur-Marne cooperative. From the outset, Fabien Cazé applied the principles of organic viticulture (2020 will be his first certified vintage) across the entire vineyard. Alone at the helm, he manages the 2.60 ha ideally located on the limestone hill traversing Vandières with south-facing slopes and Châtillon-sur-Marne with east-facing slopes. Convinced that vines need time, he decided to wait until the 2013 vintage to make his first bottlings in his father's garage in Châtillon.
A proponent of long lees aging (from 24 to 72 months), Fabien Cazé practices minimalist winemaking (no filtration or fining) using indigenous yeasts in barrels ranging from 228 to 300L. Malolactic fermentations are not sought and, indeed, rarely occur since the juices ferment in his new cellar. Hence, a hands-off approach without falling into neglect. The wines are straight, pure, and bright, supported by well-measured aging that stretches the finish and highlights fine and ripe fruit. In just a decade, Fabien Cazé has managed to find what some never find, a style that serves the wine; that is, a know-how that does not dominate the grape nor escapes it, to give the wine a sense of naturalness that is actually mastery and rigor. Isn't his first cuvée aptly named "naturally"?
If the winemaker is talented, the man leaves an impression of shyness, modesty, and courtesy. Qualities that the collective "Terres et Vins de Champagne"* did not fail to recognize by offering him to join their group from his second vintage. An integration in the form of a natural knighting, especially since Fabien Cazé is friends with Raphaël Bérèche and Alexandre Chartogne, two essential winemakers of the Champagne elite. One is rarely friends with a producer whose wines one does not appreciate... When Nature is kind, Fabien Cazé produces 20,000 bottles almost entirely distributed through professional channels (wine shops, importers, on-trade). A volume set to increase in the coming years... Now, let's talk about the wines.
*"Terres et Vins de Champagne" is a collective of top champagne producers.
Champagne Cazé-Thibaut – Naturellement
Champagne Cazé-Thibaut Les Fourches 2018