Behind the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, directly under the vineyards, a sheer chalk cliff stands as a dramatic and stark testimony to the profound terroir that forms the bedrock of what is the greatest premier cru of all. Experiencing the masterfully crafted creations of the most famous grower in the village is an equally profound encounter with the confronting minerality of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. ‘My greatest

aspiration is to let the soils speak,’ declares Jean-Paul Hébrart, for whom harmony is more important than intensity. Each of  his cuvées contrasts elegant fruit expression with the mineral signature of great terroirs, tapped by the deep roots of old vines.

 Jean-Paul’s father Marc Hébrart has been making his own champagnes in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ since 1964, and Jean-Paul joined him from the age of nineteen in 1983, taking over in 1997.

The estate is privileged to 15 hectares of vines of average age 28 years, spread across 75 plots of 70% pinot noir, proudly positioned in Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers, Avenay-Val-d’Or, Bisseuil, Mutigny, Louvois and most of all Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, including many gently south-facing plots around and above Clos des Goisses. These are cunningly married with 25% chardonnay from Avize, Chouilly and Oiry. No meunier is used.

Sustainable lutte raisonnée (reasoned viticulture) is the mandate, and synthetic treatments are avoided as much as possible.

Jean-Paul recently completed a new facility on the bank of the river in Mareuil to increase his production and storage space,

where all parcels are vini ed separately, mostly cool fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Some natural fermentation in small barrels was introduced in 2004, and foudres were introduced for some reserves in 2018. Moût concentré recti é (MCR) from grape must is used for dosage rather than cane sugar, since it is more neutral and less oxidative. No sulphur is added at disgorgement, and his attentive winemaking doesn’t call for it – every cuvée I’ve tasted upholds freshness and purity.

His cuvées enjoy a minimum of two years on lees, and more often three to four years, though he aspires to increase this by another year within the next four years.

Jean-Paul is married to Isabelle Diebolt of Diebolt-Vallois, though the businesses function autonomously. His annual pro- duction has grown to around 125,000 bottles.
TS