Come by TVP and taste wines from Arlaux, Capitain Gagnerot, and Bernard Defaix!As early as 1320, the name Arlaux appeared in the margin of a document mentioning a transaction of the Abbey of Saint-Remi concerning the vinage (wine making) and the payment of the title. In 1792, the Royal Abbey of Saint-Remi was seized and sold as national property. Nicolas Arlaux then acquired the vineyards and lands that the family had already been cultivating for several centuries under the monks’ rule. However, it was not until 1826, one year after the coronation of Charles X, the last King of France that Jean Arlaux decided to produce his first bottles of sparkling wine. He had no idea of knowing that a century later, champagne would represent the totality of production, thus replacing the red and grey wines which had filled the coffers of the Abbey of Saint-Remi. For more than 15 generations the Arlaux family has passionately maintained the land that, in the 1950’s, Boris Vian the poet had called “the center of the world” (Le nombril du Monde)…a simple patch of vineyards plunging its roots into the depths of History.

Fourth generation from a family of vine-growers, Bernard Defaix started with 2 ha in 1959. From this period, a method to protect the vineyard against spring frost was discovered. Thanks to this, the vine-growers could be sure to have a minimum of harvest every year and so they began to develop stable trade markets. The two sons of Bernard have been managing the domain since twenty years or so. Sylvain is in charge of the vinification, the ageing, the bottling and the preparation of orders. Didier takes care of the vineyard and the general management of the domain. Helene, Didier’s wife, looks after the administrative and the commercial part. The domain stretches over 27 hectares : Chablis Premier Cru (Côte de Lechet, Vaillons and Lys), Chablis and Petit Chablis. For many years yet, we have moved towards a sustainable and more ecological farming. Organic farming is the logical result of all this work.

The Lineup: