Champagne Rodez: Emotion, Terroir, and the Music of Ambonnay

Few names in Champagne embody the spirit of Ambonnay as completely as Eric Rodez. A grower and tireless interpreter of terroir, Rodez has spent decades crafting some of the village's most compelling wines while challenging conventional ideas about how Champagne should be made.

As the steward of Champagne Rodez, a family estate whose roots in Ambonnay date back to 1757, he represents nearly three centuries of continuity in one of Champagne's most revered Grand Cru villages. Nestled on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims, Ambonnay has long been celebrated for producing some of the region's finest Pinot Noir, and few producers have explored its potential with as much curiosity and precision as Rodez.

Yet despite his deep connection to family tradition, Rodez has never been content to simply preserve the status quo. His formative experiences in Burgundy and later at Krug profoundly influenced his understanding of wine, introducing him to the idea that great wines are not merely produced through technique but composed through interpretation. Those experiences encouraged him to question conventional, process-driven approaches to viticulture and winemaking and ultimately led him toward a philosophy centered on observation, balance, and emotional expression.

Today, Champagne Rodez is widely recognized as one of Ambonnay's most distinctive estates. The domaine encompasses just six hectares divided among 36 parcels, an unusually fragmented mosaic that allows for an intimate understanding of each vineyard site and its individual character. This parcel-by-parcel approach forms the foundation of Rodez's work, enabling him to craft wines that highlight both the complexity of Ambonnay and the subtle nuances that exist within the village itself.

Over the years, the estate has steadily evolved toward organic and biodynamic farming practices, driven not by ideology but by a desire to better understand and reveal the vineyard's natural expression. In the cellar, intervention is intentionally restrained. Indigenous fermentations, limited sulfur use, no filtration, and aging in used oak barrels are all employed to support rather than overshadow the wines' origins. The result is a collection of Champagnes known for their remarkable depth, texture, and energy.

Central to Rodez's philosophy is the art of blending. Often drawing parallels between wine and music, he approaches assemblage as a form of composition, balancing different vineyard sites, vintages, and reserve wines to create harmony and complexity. His portfolio ranges from meticulously crafted blended cuvées, sometimes referred to as "author wines", to terroir-driven bottlings and single-parcel expressions that seek to isolate and amplify the voice of a specific site.

These wines have earned Rodez a devoted following among sommeliers, collectors, and Champagne enthusiasts who appreciate not only their precision and age-worthiness but also their ability to convey a strong sense of place.

In many ways, his work has helped redefine what Grand Cru Pinot Noir from Ambonnay can be: powerful yet refined, structured yet vibrant, and always rooted in terroir. As the next generation becomes increasingly involved in the estate, Champagne Rodez continues to evolve while remaining faithful to the principles that have guided it for centuries.

I had the pleasure of meeting Eric during Le Printemps des Champagnes this past April. Despite never having met him in person before, I recognized him immediately. His trademark thick, brightly colored glasses, an unmistakable extension of both his style and personality, have become something of a signature over the years. Yet the man behind the frames proved even more distinctive: a vigneron of remarkable talent, intellectual curiosity, and generosity of spirit. While it took a little time to coordinate this interview afterward, the wait proved more than worthwhile. The conversation that follows offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of Ambonnay's most thoughtful and distinctive vignerons.

Your family has been cultivating vines in Ambonnay since 1757. What does this generational continuity mean to you?

This forms the foundation of our entire family history, our DNA, which guides our desire to continue writing our family’s story in this Champagne terroir. It is a magnificent and almost magical feeling to evolve in a landscape shaped by all the previous generations.

Your time in Burgundy and your experience as an oenologist at Krug were decisive. What were the main lessons you drew from them, and how did they shape your winemaking style?

My time in Burgundy (in Beaune from 1975 to 1978) had a profound impact on me. I left as the son of a winegrower and returned wanting to become a vigneron myself.

In Champagne, the vast majority of vineyard players focus solely on grape production. In Burgundy, I became aware of the essential link between vineyard and cellar. Emotion and magic cannot be created in the cellar, they must be sought in the vineyard, to extract the emotion and soul of the terroir.

I also discovered barrel vinification during that period (long before the excessive use of new oak). Before returning to the estate and after my oenology studies at the University of Reims, I needed experience in barrel vinification in Champagne. I did not want to transpose the Burgundian model to Champagne, but rather to understand what oak could bring to the Champagne world. During this period, I had the chance and privilege of being taken under the wing of Henri Krug. I was able to learn and “do my scales,” like musical training, in how to write the score of blended wines, which make up the vast majority of Champagnes. Krug shaped me; Moët would have formatted me. Once back at the estate, I wanted to be inspired by what I had learned, but never to imitate it.

Realizing that a more “industrial” approach did not align with your vision, you entered a deep period of reflection. What essential questions did you ask yourself, and what guided your change of direction?

When I returned to the estate in September 1982, I thought I knew everything. I had put a lot of energy into learning the right production methods for grapes, pressing, vinification, etc. Cartesian in my thinking, I had been shaped by an industrial agricultural model based on process logic, where the only freedom lies in technical choices. The result was catastrophic because my first wines expressed no emotion at all. I experienced this as an internal tsunami. It made me implode but also allowed me to be reborn after a long period of introspection. It took me four years after the devastatingly poor 1984 vintage to rebuild myself and understand the path forward.

When you launched Champagne Rodez in 1984, how did the transition from viticulture to a true identity as a winemaker take place?

I took over my mother’s family estate in November 1983, and later also began working the paternal vineyards for the 1992 harvest.

When I returned to Ambonnay, I could never have imagined the estate would one day be run organically, biodynamically, and with aromatherapy practices. I was curious and driven by the desire to produce Champagne wines. Gradually, this curiosity led me into unknown territory. Step by step, we experimented and developed new practices aimed at enhancing the expression of origin and terroir. Life encouraged me to climb a spiral staircase, the higher you go, the steeper the steps feel, and you must not rush or risk exhaustion. The beauty of this spiral staircase is that you know where you started, but you never know where life will take you. You never finish learning.

Your vines are entirely located in Grand Cru Ambonnay. How would you define the signature of this terroir in your wines?

In the game of life, our family has worked the vines in Ambonnay since 1757. Before that, we were in Villers-Marmery, a few kilometres away. Like other villages in the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs, the vast majority of Ambonnay’s vineyards lie on chalk, which is a great advantage in extracting all the sensuality of this exceptional terroir. We have the privilege of working with a Stradivarius, Ambonnay is richly sensual and generous.

Your 6 hectares are divided into 36 parcels, producing many separate vinifications. What does this parcel-based approach bring you in understanding your terroir?

After the particularly poor 1984 harvest, we began focusing on soil in 1989. From 1995 onwards, after observing changes in vine growth behavior, we explored organic then biodynamic techniques, and later aromatherapy. Even before joining us, Mickael became involved in shaping our future direction, and together we have observed an evolution in the aromatic and taste expression of our musts and wines. Historically focused on blending, we had divided our Champagnes into two worlds: “author wines,” where we aim to write a melody, and “terroir wines,” where we seek to express the music of Ambonnay. From the early 2000s, at Mickael’s initiative, we began exploring parcel wines, which we see as soloists expressing the pure truth of a single origin.

You place great importance on soil life. Why is this, in your view, the key to great wine?

Wine cannot be reduced to the transformation of a fruit or juice into an alcoholic beverage. There is what is in the grape, and there is the final wine. The link between the two is the way we move from one state to the other.

There are two approaches:

• Either we direct it through technical choices that shape the desired style and personality,

• Or we accompany it, limiting intervention to the strict minimum in order to preserve origin.

  
  

But to express origin, one must first respect soil life and allow the vine to establish itself properly in that soil. In 1989, all our vine roots were in the top 25–30 cm of soil, making them directly dependent on climate conditions. Today, 40% remain in the upper layer, but 60% go deeper, with 15–20% at the chalk interface, and everything changes: less immediate climatic dependence, more depth, minerality, and sensuality.

What convinced you to move toward organic and then biodynamic viticulture, and what challenges did you face?

It seemed important to encourage natural balance and minimize human intervention. On my return, I was trapped in process-based thinking. Today, we are a little “exuberant,” but free.

We must respect Champagne regulations, but we do not want to follow identical interventions every year. The only true constraint is willpower. During the season, we visit parcels daily to observe and anticipate how the cycle is evolving. Organic farming, biodynamics, and aromatherapy emerged naturally, without dogma, the least possible intervention, in the most respectful way, to reduce our footprint. But moving forward alone would have limited possibilities. Our future is interdependent with the wider environment. I therefore sought to influence broader behavior. Changing the system is nearly impossible without collective awareness of the need for a more respectful form of agriculture.

You describe your wines in terms of “vibrations” and “melodies.” Can you explain this analogy?

Everything is vibration: sight, touch, hearing, taste, smell. We are fortunate to sell our wines in around 40 countries and welcome many visitors to the estate. But I am not very fluent in English, so I needed a way to be clearly understood. Music is universal, and musical metaphors allow me to communicate simply. We only have one sensitivity in the vineyard: preserving our terroir and extracting its emotion.

In the cellar, we work across three sensory universes:

• Author wines: Champagne’s DNA is blending. We may work with up to 70 base wines, composing a melody with 20–25 wines each year. The melody is recognizable but always interpreted differently, like live music (hence the edition numbers on labels).

• Parcel wines: solo expressions of a single plot, grape variety, and vintage.

• Terroir wines: blends of 4–5 parcels of the same grape and vintage, aiming to express the music of Ambonnay.

Winemaking is minimal intervention: indigenous fermentation, no cold stabilization, no filtration, minimal Sulphur. Most wines ferment in tank in reduction (no oxygen contact), then age in 228L barrels, moving from reductive to more oxidative expression. No new oak is used to avoid masking origin.

Many of your wines are barrel-aged. What does oak bring?

Today, most wines exist in a controlled, reductive environment. Oak ageing influences the wine in three ways:

• New oak can mark wines with tannins, so we avoid it in Champagne.

• Oak is porous, allowing gentle oxygen exchange; barrels are regularly tasted, with ageing generally limited to 12 months (often 6 months for 25–30% of wines).

• Each barrel, like a musical instrument, influences the wine differently, adding diversity of expression.

  
  

What role do reserve wines play in your blends?

In Champagne, non-vintage brut wines are often 70% current harvest and 30% reserve wines. At our estate, it is the opposite: we work with around 70 base wines from six vintages and 2.6 years of stock. Ambonnay terroir, late harvesting at phenolic ripeness, organic and biodynamic practices, minimal intervention, and long barrel ageing all ensure stylistic continuity.

Which cuvée best represents your identity and vision?

Two cuvées best represent our vision:

• Blanc de Noirs: the signature cuvée, expressing the generosity of Pinot Noir with finesse and minerality from chalk soils, harvested at full phenolic maturity.

• Les Crayères: the entry point to our wines and the most difficult to produce, requiring careful selection so as not to compromise blends for other cuvées.

Our identity is also rooted in expressing Ambonnay through three dimensions: blending, origin, and terroir.

When someone tastes your Champagne for the first time, what do you hope they feel?

Nothing makes us happier than seeing emotional sparkle in our visitors’ eyes. Too many wines are technically perfect but emotionally flat. We do not seek perfection we seek emotion. It is not necessary to understand immediately; what matters is sensing an olfactory and gustatory imprint that brings pleasure.

How do you see the future evolution of Champagne Rodez with your son?

My wife Martine and I are fortunate to experience a smooth family transition. Mickael and Aurélie share a common vision.

There are challenges:

• Climate change, with rising temperatures affecting acidity. They are reintroducing old Champagne grape varieties (Arbane, Petit Meslier) to restore tension and freshness.

• Social attitudes toward alcohol, leading them to explore innovative approaches, including blending wine and must at bottling for secondary fermentation, with promising results.

We have given them reference points to guide the future. We have no doubt in their ability to continue writing the family story.

For more information go to: https://www.champagne-rodez.com/en/welcome/