The Wines of Champagne Thiénot
Champagne Thiénot is one of the youngest of all the Champagne houses, having been established by Alain Thiénot as recently as 1985. A successful broker working in the region, Alain first stepped into the production side of the Champagne business with Champagne Castille, before going on to establish a brand under his own name.
With this foothold in the business, Alain Thiénot then went on to acquire control of a number of other houses, including Marie Stuart in 1994, followed by two somewhat more familiar names, Joseph Perrier and Canard-Duchêne, which came under his direction in 1998 and 2003 respectively.
While Alain remains involved in the business today, the responsibility for the day-to-day running of Champagne Thiénot now falls to the next generation, sister-and-brother team Garance and Stanislas Thiénot. They work with head winemaker Nicolas Uriel, who joined the family firm in 2008 to head up grower relations, but who stepped into his current role directing the vinifications and blending back in 2017.
Champagne Thiénot recently sent me some samples from across their range, and I report on them below.
The Vineyards and Cellars
First, a little background on the vineyards and cellars. Having worked in the region for many years, and with numerous family connections (his own father had previously managed Champagne Irroy), Alain Thiénot has been able to build up an admirable portfolio of vineyards. Today the Thiénot family have 30 hectares at their disposal, which provides them with around half of their annual requirements; the remainder comes from an array of local growers with whom they have long-term contracts. These 30 hectares include 15 hectares in a mix of grand cru and premier cru sites, with notable parcels located in Ay, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Dizy, Cumières, Pierry and Damery.
