Why it matters
The producer
Élodie Desbordes started making the wine at age 20 in 1997. She is the fifth consecutive woman to lead Champagne Élodie D., a family house whose ancestors cultivated vines in Écueil from 1692 and made their first Champagne in 1844.
The vineyard covers 9.14 hectares divided across 35 plots, with Pinot Noir dominant. Horses plow between the vines, cover crops grow between the rows, and sheep manage the vegetation. No chemical inputs are used. The vineyard received sustainable viticulture and high environmental value certifications in 2017.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Écueil is a Premier Cru terroir in the Montagne de Reims, a Champagne subregion known for Pinot Noir. Premier Cru is a classified place status within Champagne, so Écueil gives the bottle a more specific origin than the regional name alone. The village setting also explains why Pinot Noir leads the house's plantings.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range includes several cuvées, with Resurgence 2007 Extra Brut as the named single vineyard expression. It is Pinot Noir from the Gillis plot, planted in 1971, with production under 2,000 bottles. Extra Brut is a dry Champagne style.
The wine ferments with indigenous yeast, then ferments and ages in oak barrels from the family's own forest in Écueil. It spends 11 years on lees and receives no fining or filtering. Its range position is defined by one vintage, one grape, one plot and an extended cellar period.