Thomas de Marne & Florie Pilares

ROYAL PINOT NOIR
After her divorce from her husband, Thierry De Marne, Valérie Frison amazed all champagne lovers with her class and discretion. Now, the time has come to pass the baton. Her son Thomas, with his incredible stamina, is stepping into his mother's monastic work and is poised to become the new face of Champagne Val Frison in the Côte-de-Bar. The champagne we tasted from him in recent months has made a deep impression on us, marking a new and exciting chapter in the history of this esteemed Champagne house. This transition to the next generation fills us with excitement and optimism for the future of Champagne Val Frison.

DE MARNE FRISON
Valérie and Thierry started the Domaine De Marne Frison in 1997 with one hectare mainly planted with Royal Pinot Noir. In 2003, they switched to biodynamic viticulture to achieve high-value production, and in 2007, the first vintage in Bertrand Gautherot's cellars saw the light of day, and we were there. After that, they worked hard on a new Chardonnay planting and a new cellar in harmony with nature. In 2013, Thierry left for Roussillon.

FLORIE
Thomas' career took him from a degree in civil engineering to studying winemaking in the Languedoc, not far from his father, who became a respected winemaker there. Before returning to his mother's estate with his partner Florie Pilares in 2018, he apprenticed at Domaine Yoyo in Banyuls. Initially, Thomas had no intention of becoming a winemaker, but Yoyo gave him the right vibe. In 2020, he took over 6 hectares of vineyards and all the tasks in the cellar at home and immediately reduced grape sales to increase production from 15,000 to 25,000 bottles per year. Last year, Thomas confidently debuted with his label on one cuvée, but from 2024, all cuvées will shine with new labels, including the sublime Côteaux Champenois. Here, Florie's creativity as a driver of innovation comes straight from her heart.

BRUT BUT NOT BRUTE
In the spirit of his parents, Thomas follows biodynamic viticulture in the vineyard and the wine cellar. Hand harvesting, a meticulous process where each grape is carefully selected and picked by hand, ensures that only the best grapes are used, leading to a higher quality wine. Low yields, use of natural yeasts, no clarification, no filtration, no dosage and no sulphur are not incidental but entirely self-evident. The Champagnes of Thomas de Marne are a revelation, tasting pristine, sizzling dry with salt along the lips, cleansing, purifying and invigorating. The iodine sparkles, salt almost palpable, the acids nervous. Delicate, refined, spiritual. Brut but not Brute. Simply extraordinary. The vineyards thrive on Kimmeridgian and Portlandian soils, rich in limestone and fossils that give the grapes an aromatic complexity and a characteristic minerality.

LIMITED
Goustan Blanc de Noir Brut Nature 2020 is a pure, distinctive, and impressively layered wine, with nuances that create an immensely energetic and complex taste. The striking pink color indicates that the pinot noir has not been discolored but works without adding sulfur. The 2022 Coteaux Champenois Blanc offers soft tones of warm brioche and finishes complexly like a natural Burgundy. Champagne Cotannes vividly approaches the relationship with the nearby Chablis, making it a model of Biodynamic viticulture. Thomas also crafts a beautiful Chardonnay Lalore, which needs to expand. This Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature has a brilliant mousse full of vitality and is richly detailed with unparalleled complex aromas. Each of these wines has a unique character and excels in vinosity and minerality, with sizzling salt crystals that add to their charm.

NEW PHASE
Thomas and Florie are a remarkably spontaneous, motivated, and dynamic couple. Their dedication and passion for winemaking are not just inspiring, but also deeply felt in every bottle they produce. They go down to the last detail for what is to come, but always in a vibrant atmosphere with refined taste and inexhaustible energy. After almost 17 years with Val Frison, we are looking forward to the new phase with Thomas and Florie with a sparkle. Enjoy the Champagnes of Thomas de Marne today, but take your time to savor the dedication and passion that went into each bottle.