The Marguet family has been in Champagne for a hundred years but it wasn't until Benoît took over in the early 2000's that they became the fantastic, thoughtful, contemporary grower they are today. Benoît's first experiment came when he was a teenager in charge of preparing the chemical sprays for the vineyard and he diluted the sprays to half strength to see what they were actually doing to help farming, turns out there was no noticeable effect on vine health. This gave him the desire to continue experimenting elsewhere. By 2005 he had taken over the estate and farms all 10 hectares of vines biodynamically, with certification since 2008. For additional information on their work with biodynamic farming and use of horses in the vineyard check out their website here. 

In the cellar that intention continues with juices moving by gravity, each cru ferments individually in old barrels with long aging on the lees. All barrels are 1-9 years old in various sizes. He also keeps the cuvee and the taille together stating that 'they spend their whole life together in berry, so why not some more time in barrel.' It is this individualized thinking that has brought such acclaim to Benoît and his wines. 
With all of this forward and homeopathic thinking, his wines are not at all eccentric or untraditional for grower champagne. Peter Liem describes them as 'like the man himself, Marguet's wines are outgoing, friendly, and forthright, yet they conceal a depth and expression that is clearly the product of careful thought and insightful vision.' 

Benoît's lineup of wines allows you to take a deep dive into the Montagne de Reims. It begins with Shaman and Shaman Rose, the duo are a blend from Ambonnay and Bouzy and are the only non-vintage designated wines. Next are his village-level wines from Ambonnay, Avize, Bouzy, and Verzenay, all from the 2020 vintage and showcase the terroir from these fantastic villages. Lastly are his lieu-dit estate bottlings that go even more concentrated into site specificity. Made of up Les Bermonts, Les Crayeres, and Les Saint Remys this release all comes from the 2020 vintage and each comes from a single lieu-dit within Ambonnay. Across the board there is something here for everyone. We only get so much of these wines each year so snag some while they're here!

-Hanna Krilov Cohen