History
The house was founded after Olivier Collard and Caroline Picard married in 1996. It brings together two champagne-producing families from different regions of great importance. Picard is actually Picard-Gonet. This in turn refers to the Gonet winemaking dynasty in Mesnil-sur-Oger (more here), into which Dominique Picard, Caroline’s father, had married. Under Georges Collard at the beginning of the 20th century, the Collard branch was one of the first winegrowers in the Marne Valley to market its own champagne. One of his innovations was the use of large foudres to avoid the distinct wood flavor of small barrels. He was succeeded by his son, the legendary René Collard. A part-time photographer (to earn money!), he began producing champagne under his own name in Reuil in 1943, after taking over the family’s 17 hectares of vineyards. Because he was the first to produce a single-varietal Pinot Meunier champagne, he is considered the forefather of the Meunier renaissance of our time and inspired cult winemaker Jerôme Prévost, among others.
But René Collard was a pioneer in many ways. Firstly, through his natural vineyard management without pesticides and herbicides. He also remained faithful to his father’s wooden barrel cultivation and dispensed with malolactic fermentation. By storing his champagnes for an extremely long time, he wanted to prove the skeptics wrong who did not believe in the aging potential of Meunier. In 1974, his son Daniel and his wife Françoise founded their own champagne house, Collard-Chardelle, in the neighboring village of Villers-sous-Châtillon.
Their son Olivier showed the same sense of independence. In 1996, the year he married Caroline Picard, he and his wife founded the Clollard-Picard house with just 2.5 hectares. It was also the year Olivier’s grandfather René ended his production. Ten years later, the young champagne house inaugurated a new winery in Villers. When the opportunity arose in 2013 to purchase a dilapidated property on Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, the Collard-Picard couple seized it. They were the first winegrower-champagne producer on the prestigious promenade. But they were also pioneers with their Californian-style boutique offering champagne tastings for visitors. In 2024, their son Alexandre joined the business. After graduating in viticulture and oenology in Avize, he went on to complete further postgraduate studies, some of them international, in areas such as wine marketing and management.
Style
Collard-Picard embodies much of René Collard’s legacy. However, the estate is now considerably more diverse, not least due to its holdings in the Côte des Blancs, with 16 hectares across 52 different plots. Of course, the vineyard holdings in the heart of the Marne Valley (Reuil, Villers-sous-Châtillon, Binson-et-Orquigny, etc.) form the backbone. Meunier dominates here, planted in mass selection from vines that are in some cases very old. The Collard heritage also includes plots in Vanault-le-Châtel, in the far east of the Vitryat. The Picard-Gonet side includes Chardonnay vineyards from the Grand Crus Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger. But there are also vineyards in Vertus, which are mostly planted with Pinot Noir. Today, 40 percent Meunier, 40 percent Chardonnay, and 20 percent Pinot Noir make up the vineyard. Nothing is purchased from third parties. Collard-Picard continues the family tradition of natural viticulture and is HVE-3 certified. Because the champagnes are primarily an expression of their origin, all base wines receive the same treatment in the cellar.
Nevertheless, the champagnes display a clear stylistic intent. Pressing is carried out using a modern, high-end Coquard press with a capacity of 8 tons, and only the first pressing is used. Fermentation takes place with the estate’s own yeasts, with malolactic fermentation completely blocked. The wines are aged in wood (large 72-hectoliter foudres). Clay amphorae are also increasingly being used. The house now has nine vintages available as reserves. Most of these are aged in wood (including two different “Réserves perpétuelles”), with a small amount also aged in stainless steel. Otherwise, this is only used for pre-clarification and cuvetting. Before tirage, all cuvées mature on the fine lees in wood for nine to twelve months. The second fermentation in the bottle takes an unusually long time. Soon, a minimum period of five years will apply to all cuvées. Natural corks (“Sous liège”) are increasingly being used instead of crown caps for storage – a complete changeover is planned for 2027. Rectified must concentrate is used as dosage (maximum Extra-Brut).
Portfolio
The house has a remarkable portfolio that only vaguely resembles the traditional offerings of a classic maison. The entry-level wines are the non-vintage cuvées ADN (English: DNA), available as Noir and Rosé (both Extra Brut). The former is a Blanc de Noirs made from half Meunier and half Pinot Noir from the Marne Valley. Since the 2020 tirage, it has been made entirely from a 2015 Reserve Perpetuelle. The Rosé also comes from the Marne. It is 92 percent vintage Chardonnay, blended with 8 percent red Meunier still wine from an older vintage. Perpetuelle Extra-Brut is, so to speak, the older half-brother of ADN Noir and comes from a consistent reserve since 2008. However, half of the grapes (50% Ch|25% PN|25% PM) come from the Marne and half from the Côte des Blancs. Racines (English: “Roots”) Autre Cru Extra Brut, a pure Meunier, looks back most clearly on the family history. Here, 50 percent of a base vintage is added to three reserve vintages in the same quantity.
The world of vintage champagnes is actually entered with the Blanc de Blancs Dom. Picard Grand Cru Extra-Brut. This homage to Caroline Picard’s father consists of Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. The respective vintage is only discreetly noted on the back label. The same applies to Merveilles Premier Cru Extra Brut, a single-vineyard rosé from Vertus. Here, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grow together in two blocks (ratio 80:20) in the “Les Terrats” parcel. The grapes are harvested on the same day and co-macerated. The extravagant Essentiell Brut nature (50%Ch|25%PN|25%PM) once again combines the two main origins of Collard-Picard in the north and south and is then explicitly a vintage. The Archives Extra-Brut, also a millésimé, matures even longer (under natural cork). Here, 80 percent Chardonnay from Mesnil is blended with 20 percent Pinot Noir from the “Les Oies” plot in Reuil. Older vintages of these cuvées are available as part of the Synthésie package.
In addition, there is a rare single-varietal, matured Meunier still wine from the Les Louves parcel in Binson-et-Orquigny, an unusual Coteaux Champenois. This year, it is complemented by a Chardonnay from the Les Moissonnères site in Mesnil-sur-Oger. In addition, a whole cornucopia of new cuvées, including single vineyards, is in preparation. Particularly promising: a selection of the best barrels of a vintage, exclusively from top years, which mature together in a solera. Last year was tirage, release not under ten years of bottle fermentation …
The tasting
ADN Noir (Tirage3/19|deg.2/25) is generous and powerful thanks to the sunny 2018 base vintage. Medium straw yellow in the glass, with lively effervescence. Ripe apple, mandarin, physalis, grapes, but also honey and brioche in the bouquet. Thanks to blocked malolactic fermentation, the lively acidity balances the ripe base wines on the palate. A very nice entry-level wine (90p.). Perpetuelle 13 Années (Tirage3/21|deg.7/24) is considerably paler in the glass. Here, the texture is at the forefront. Although the acidity is clearly noticeable here too, the wine seems softer and less tense. Of the two, this is the more harmonious, serene, but also more complex champagne (91p.). Racines (Titage3/18|deg.12/24), on the other hand, shows a lively perlage and the distinctly fuller color of a champagne made from red grapes. The nose is initially restrained with Grammy Smith and a hint of wood. On the palate, however, the champagne is radiant and pure: with concise acidity, very focused and with a salty finish. Particularly successful, a great Meunier (93–94p.).
Merveilles 1er Cru Rosé de Saignée 2017 (Tirage3/18|deg.7/24) is highly individual. Very dark rosé red in the glass, with beautifully delicate perlage. On the nose, red berries, quince, and flowers, which then show themselves to be very ripe on the palate. The champagne has a soft, almost creamy texture, making it more reminiscent of a wine than a champagne. However, the acidity is very low, so it lacks a little elegance (88p.). With the Dom. Picard 2020 (Tirage3/21|deg.2/25), everything is back in its rightful place. Still very young, with a lively mousse, the champagne changes noticeably when exposed to air. Initially ginger and mango in the bouquet, later also Earl Grey tea and pastry cream. The delicately creamy texture with integrated acidity also evokes the idea of a white Burgundy. But it is definitely on the fresh side, with a high drinkability (92-93p.). The Essentiel 2015 (Tirage5/16|deg.4/25) also has a wine-like texture. Very fine but lively perlage. The nose reveals somewhat hesitant notes of Granny Smith apple, quince, and a hint of ginger, as well as delicate wood notes. Complex and electrifying on the palate thanks to powerful acidity (93p.).
Note
Sur-la-pointe tasted the six cuvées photographed in the studio in Berlin in December 2025. The entire portfolio was previewed at ProWein 2025. The pricey Archives 2012 proved to be the top cuvée of the range in terms of quality (95p.), more here. The Coteaux Champenois Les Louves 2015 (the current vintage!), on the other hand, presented itself with a distinctly high level of maturity. I need to take more time to judge this.
Image rights
Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
