History
“The smallest of the Champagne vineyards are those of Sillery, and yet no wine of the Marne enjoys a greater renown”. This was written in 1875 by the British wine writer Henri Vizetelly in his book on Champagne. Anyone who delves into the history of Champagne will come across the name Sillery, which at the time could only be compared to Aӱ. The commune near Reims owes its reputation to a time long before Champagne was a sparkling wine. Under the Brûlart de Sillery family in the 17th and 18th centuries, the still wines from Château de Sillery were among the most sought-after in all of Europe. After the French Revolution, the majority of the vineyards became the property of Moët & Chandon. The latter continued to produce a traditional Sillery from the Clos de Romont until the end of the 19th century. The remaining grapes went into the great Champagne cuvées. By the 20th century, the name Sillery had already faded.
Despite Sillery’s classification as a Grand Cru and its excellent reputation, there was no mono-cru from the traditional municipality for decades. This only changed with François Secondé, who left school at 14 and became a vineyard worker after completing an apprenticeship. He soon leased a vineyard before buying his first vineyard in 1972. In 1976, he increased the lease to 3 hectares and began to produce his own champagne with the help of his wife Anne-Marie. Their son, who was to succeed him, died in Italy at the age of 21 in 2005. In 2009, Jérôme Groslambert, an oenologist trained in Avize and Reims, took over the management of the estate. He and François Secondé worked together for nine years to develop the style of the champagnes from Sillery. Secondé died in 2018, and Groslambert acquired the majority shares in the company from his widow at the end of 2023. To this day, the “Vigneron Indépendant” is the only one to bottle a pure Sillery Grand Cru.
Style
Sillery was famous for its red still wine and its vin gris, which was mostly produced from Fromenteau, now known as Pinot Gris. Interestingly, today Chardonnay is the most common grape variety on the 900 hectares of the commune, ahead of Pinot Noir and some Meunier. Chardonnay from Sillery flows into the prestige cuvée Dom Ruinart from the maison of the same name. Its cellar master Frédéric Panaïotis compared the Chardonnay from Sillery with the Corton-Charlemagne in Burgundy due to its late maturity and longevity. François Secondé’s vineyards cover 5.5 hectares. In addition to sites in Sillery, it also includes parcels in the neighboring Grands Crus Mailly-Champagne, Puisieulx and Verzenay. There is also a plot in the premier cru commune of Sermiers. Two thirds of the vines are Pinot Noir and one third Chardonnay. The vineyards are HVE-certified, i.e. agriculture with a high environmental value.
Champagne François Secondé produces only a small quantity of champagne in a rather large number of different and very individual cuvées. The entry-level champagnes ferment in stainless steel, undergo malolactic fermentation and ferment only quite briefly in the bottle. In the non-vintages – with the exception of the Brut Grand Cru and the Zero Dosage – the proportion of reserve wines is not very high. The dosage is quite low. Remuage, i.e. the “shaking” of the bottles to clarify them, is carried out by hand. The cuvées La Loge as well as the Crus Sermiers and Puisieulx are at least partially vinified in wood. The two still wines (“Coteaux Champenois”) aged in wood a Sillery Rouge and a Sillery Blanc, are a particular specialty. The former comes from old Pinot Noir vines. The latter is a cuvée of white-pressed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I was able to taste both at ProWein in Düsseldorf and they are among the best Coteaux Champenois that I know.
Portfolio
Sillery makes a range of very terroir-driven champagnes. The only exception is the Cuvée Clavier. It still refers to the Champagne Clavier brand, which once belonged to François Secondé. Today, the cuvée of two-thirds Chardonnay and one-third Pinot Noir seems a little like a non-standard in the range. Things really get going with the two non-vintage champagnes Grand Cru Brut and Zéro Dosage Intégral Grand Cru. With 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay, they reflect the overall grape variety ratio of the estate and are, as it were, its calling card. The Brut Rosé, on the other hand, is a pure Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. The Mono-Cru Sermiers Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs comes from a commune a few kilometers southwest of Sillery. Technically an Extra Brut with 5 grams of dosage, just 1,000 bottles are available. Apart from the Grand Cru Brut with 25,000 bottles, the quantities in general are extremely small.
Champagne François Secondé produces two completely contrasting champagnes from vineyards in Sillery. The first is La Loge Blanc de Noirs Sillery Grand Cru Brut. Named after a vineyard cottage in the vineyards, this cuvée is a single-varietal Pinot Noir from the best plots in Sillery. Currently from the base year 2019 with 30 percent reserve wines from a solera started in 2005 and partly aged in wood. The counterpart is the Blanc de Blancs Millésimé Sillery Grand Cru, the estate’s only vintage. The single-varietal Chardonnay also comes from a single plot (Les Puits). And it is the only one with a significant period of bottle fermentation. The very rare and expressive Puisieulx Grand Cru Les Petites Vignes, which I was able to taste at ProWein, also comes from a single vineyard. The cuvée (half Chardonnay and half Pinot Noir) comes entirely from a solera begun in 2009 and also sees wood. The two still wines mentioned above round off the range.
Tasting
Grand Cru Brut is a very convincing start. With peach, raspberry, citrus and brioche on the nose, plus a fresh but fine perlage and a juicy, smooth drinking flow. The base wines come from the warm 2020 vintage, plus 30 percent reserve wines from a solera from 1982 (!). It is obvious that it is the terroir, the 40-year-old vines and these reserve wines that give the champagne its complexity, rather than the yeast notes from the rather short bottle fermentation (92 P.). The Zero Dosage Integral Grand Cru has a completely different, more tart character. And this despite being the same wine “on paper”, only without dosage. It is possible that its backbone comes from the fresher 2019 vintage. The bouquet here has stronger citrus aromas, green apple, yellow stone fruit and some unripe pineapple. The perlage is restrained, which makes the champagne more vinous. On the other hand, the champagne gains salinity, with a relatively short length (90 p.).
The unusual Brut Rosé made from 100 percent Pinot Noir gets its color from the “Méthode saignée”, i.e. the brief “bleeding” of the berries. On the other hand, it is also the result of assemblage, i.e. the addition of red still wine to the Vins clairs. Beautiful fragrance with aromas of rhubarb, strawberries and raspberry cookies, plus bergamot. On the palate, the wine is soft, quite creamy and powerful at the same time – indicating a sunny base vintage. A dense, hedonistic rosé that appears more mature on the palate than on the nose and lacks a little tension. A rosé for fall and winter (91 p.). Sermiers Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs is a pure Chardonnay. There are floral and citrus notes on the nose. In addition, there are mirabelle plums, greengages, biscuit and a hint of yoghurt, which quickly disappears. The perlage is lively but unobtrusive. Not overly complex on the palate, but dense, fresh and long, with a hint of saltiness (92 p.).
As expected, the two Sillery Grands Crus are very different. The base wines for the La Loge Blanc de Noirs come from the brilliant, high-acid 2019 vintage. Accordingly, the Mono-Cru is very pure and still somewhat reserved. Golden yellow, with a hint of rosé and delicate perlage in the glass. The nose is dominated by apple notes with raspberry and hints of brioche. The mouthfeel is creamy, thanks to a short time in the wooden barrel, but aromatically still fairly lean and quite salty (92+ P.) The Blanc de Blancs was from the 2016 vintage when I tasted it at ProWein. In Berlin, I was then faced with 2017, a challenging vintage in Champagne. It is lighter in color than La Loge and not quite as radiant as its predecessor. Nevertheless, it was excellent: white flowers and lime zest on the nose, powerful and multi-layered on the palate, with a beautiful acidity curve and a long finish (93-94 p.).
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All photos Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
