Lingey) - Annual Production 110,000 bottles
" The Mathieus have been growers in the Aube since at least 1760 but it was not until 1970 that the first champagne was bottled under the family name by Serge Mathieu, who created the 'Billecart Salmon of grower Champagnes'. His daughter Isabelle and her husband Michel-Jacob now run the business but Serge still works in the cellars. There are 11 ha of picture perfect vines and a superbly equipped winery. Malolactic is carried out with fine delicacy, ensuring these supremely elegant Champagnes with a creamy richness." Tom Stevenson
Back from Holidays and much work to do. That being said, when drinking Champagne to make (sort of) a living (of sorts), then things could be much worse. Importer: Mondo Imports
Light and delicate, slightly honeyed and hazelnutty with spiced citrus and plum fruit. Very clean and direct with particularly fine acidity and a long spicy finish. Perhaps not the most layered and complex of Champagnes but the purity, balance and well, hmmm, glugability for want of a better word, are second to none. An excellent wine from an outstanding vintage. Drink : 2009 - 2014 93 points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Serge Mathieu: This little Champagne house, if I can refer to these récoltant-manipulant growers in such a fashion, is located in Avirey-Lingey, a tiny village in the Aube, a couple of hours drive south of the Champagne heartland of Épernay and Reims. Distance is just one reason why the Aube has long been regarded as Champagne's poor and perhaps embarrassing cousin; the predominance of Pinot Noir and Meunier (according for over 85% of the vineyard), over the perhaps more elegant Chardonnay which is more widely grown further north on the Côte de Blancs, is another. But such generalisations should not concern the savvy Champagne drinker, as the Aube has much to offer. At least one famous name - Drappier - is located here, and many household names, Billecart-Salmon for instance, source their Pinot Noir from this region. And there are some brilliant growers too, which is where Serge Mathieu comes in.
Serge Mathieu once sold all his grapes to bigger names, and indeed some of the fruit is still sold in this way today. Since the 1970s, however, this family concern has been bottling and selling Champagnes under its own name. Serge has long since retired, and son-in-law Michel Jacob now leads the team, with wife Isabelle firmly in control of marketing. Michel Jacob chants the quality mantra, inter-planting with grass, using natural fertilisers only and eschewing chemicals in the vineyard, although it is extremely difficult (but not impossible) this far north to go completely organic. The portfolio of wines produced naturally features Pinot Noir most of all, with Chardonnay a bit-player. Chris Kissack, The Wine Doctor
The Serge Mathieu champagne House is located in the small village of Avirey-Lingey, in the Aube départment. The Aube is about a two-hour drive south of Epernay, and once one leaves the Côte de Blancs, there are really no vines in sight. Chablis is another 45 minutes down the road from Avirey-Lingey, which would make you think that this would be prime chardonnay territory. In fact, it is prime pinot noir territory, and about 85% of the Aube is planted with pinot noir.
The domaine started marketing bottles in the early 1970. After Serge retired, his son-in-law, Michel Jacob, took over wine growing and winemaking duties. Serge's daughter Isabelle is in charge of the commercial side of the business.
While the vineyards are not organically grown, Michel severely restricts the amount of unnatural products on his vines and soil. Recently the negoçiant Billecart-Salmon has been buying pinot noir from Serge Mathieu, recongnizing the excellence of Michel's raw material.
