VINE EXPECTATIONS

Alexandre Cattier from Champagne Cattier

Alexandre Cattier and his father Jean-jacques Cattier make for a striking duo. They are yin and yang – youthful and mature, introvert and extrovert, relaxed and restless respectively. They are the 4th and 3rd generation of Cattiers making Champagne under the family name since 1918, although records show that their ancestors going back 13 generations were owners of vineyards in Chigny les Roses since 1763, selling grapes to the great houses of Reims and Epernay. Of their current owned 33 hectares, the most famous is the rare clos (enclosed vineyard) of Clos du Moulin.

MAKING BUBBLES

Alexandre grew up in Rilly-la-montagne, close to the economic heart of Chigny les Roses, where the family had vineyards and an 18th century cellar, among the deepest in Champagne. He spent four years schooling with friends who were from Champagne or F&B families in Rilly-la-montagne before entering the University of Sciences in Reims, where he graduated with a National Diploma of Oenology in 2002.

“I had been making bubbles all my life,” Alexandre smiles as he explains, “so I wanted space to do something else that was not bubbles. That’s why I went Down Under.” He joined the winemaking teams at Tyrell’s Winery in Hunter Valley and then Hanging Rock Winery in Mount Macedon while also fitting in backpacking time around Australia. While working, he took the chance to learn about the different equipment used, the results of early to late harvesting and winemaking in barrels.

He arrived home in 2003 to take up the winemaker’s position at Champagne Cattier, just in time for one of the hottest and driest years in memory. “Some of the grapes had burnt aromas,” he recalls wryly, noting that winemaking is easier when nature takes care of the harvest. While 2008 was a great year, 2018 gave an unexpected

bumper crop. Jean-jacques, who is sitting in our conversation, also jumps in to mention the terrible year of 1981, where they managed to get just 2kg of grapes from each hectare, down from the usual 12kg. In the past five years, Champagne has been hard hit by climate change, with bortrytis (grape rot) and spring frost affecting harvests in 2017 and 2019.

Over the past 17 years, eight as winemaker before taking the chief executive officer role in 2011, Alexandre has been actively championing ecologically friendly winemaking at Champagne Cattier, a process that started even earlier in 1994 when they first got a consultant to advise them. “Gathering knowledge takes time,” he acknowledges, “We learnt a lot from biodynamic processes, such as what alternatives to chemicals to use at the start of the season. We have natural grasses and cover crops in the vineyard, which is great as they oblige the vine roots to go deeper in search of water. That makes them more resilient during dry years.” Their vineyards are certified Haute Valeur Environnementale Level 3 (the highest level).

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Champagne Cattier is still very much a family concern. Alexandre’s cousins Agathe Charles is the deputy general manager, while Marie Cattier is the house ambassador in the region. Jean-jacques has taken a supervisory position since relinquishing the CEO role, but is never far from the limelight. Even Jean Cattier, Alexandre’s grandfather, is evoked when his favourite phrase is repeated: “on mord dans la grappe” or, “we bite into the cluster”. This encapsulates the house style of Cattier: generosity of fruit and the expressive power of Pinot Meunier.

As current CEO, Alexandre has big shoes to fill. Jean-jacques greatly expanded the house’s markets, and with Alexandre’s help, also launched ultra-premium label Armand de Brignac in 2006, which is made only from Grand Cru grapes and gained notoriety by appearing in a Jay-z music video. That doesn’t seem to leave much room for Alexandre to make his mark, but he demurs, “We have been making incremental improvements in our business, from creating new facilities to trying new winemaking changes. The press is a piece of equipment that hasn’t changed much in 200 years, even though wines have changed. We’re trying to adapt the technology to be more precise, which will take a few years’ work.” He concludes, “As a family business, we take decisions for the long term.”