Ullens

Born in Belgium, Maxime Ullens is just over twenty years old when he fell in love in 2012 and bought Domaine de Marzilly, a charming and historic Château surrounded by a vineyard and forest of about 32 hectares in the immediate vicinity of Hermonville, in the Massif de Saint-Thierry, the northernmost region of Champagne.

Maxime - who has an architectural background - decided with the help of his sister Anna to renovate the Château - abandoned and completely in ruins - and resumed his studies at the Lycée viticole d'Avize to increase his knowledge on how to produce Champagne. Eight years later, Domaine de Marzilly is magnificently reborn with a high added value and in this wonderful terroir, Maxime Ullens, began to work on 4 hectares in organic conversion with the agronomic advice of Lydia and Claude Bourguignon.

All the plots are vinified exclusively in oak barrels and, out of passion and respect for this historical material, all barrels are made by the Tonnellerie de Champagne of Cauroy-lès-Hermonville with the trees of its forest. For Maxime, biodiversity is a real conviction; as a stimulus and protection of its terroir black bees have been reintroduced in the vineyards and French hens rustic (Faverolles breed) scrape the vines at the end of the harvest.

Currently only one Cuvée is sold with a strong prevalence of Meunier. It will be necessary to wait for the right refinement to see the exit of other plots, including the vineyard planted with 100% Meunier called Clos de Marzilly. This year, La Gault & Millau elected Maxime Ullens (Champagne Ullens - Domaine de Marzilly) Winemaker of the year 2020.