
Champagne Leclerc Briant is a quintessential name when it comes to avant-garde Champagne. With a legacy dating back to 1872, the boutique Champagne house has long been at the forefront of innovation in the industry making a name for themselves for their pioneering commitment to organic and biodynamic viticulture, long before it became a widespread movement in the region.

The modern story begins with fourth generation family member, Bertrand Leclerc, who, in the late 1940s, chose to chart a course off the beaten path that was as unconventional as it was bold, adhering to organic practices. This willingness to challenge the status quo laid the groundwork for the house’s groundbreaking evolution, especially under the stewardship of his son Pascal Leclerc Briant who, in 1999, would pioneer a radical biodynamic approach.
The untimely death of Pascal cast a shadow over the future of the family-run House which found itself at a crossroad. The vision and leadership that had propelled Leclerc Briant to new heights seemed now uncertain. The arrival of husband-and-wife duo Mark Nunelly and Denise Dupré marked a turning point for Leclerc Briant offering a much-needed recovery at a precarious time. Recognizing the potential and rich nonconformist history of the house, they stepped in at a crucial juncture, breathing new life into the iconic champagne house. What could have been a tragic end instead became the catalyst for a bold new chapter, —a sparkling manifesto of the future of Champagne, one written by Hervé Jestin, Leclerc Briant’s cellar master.
Jestin plays a pivotal role as the custodian of the house’s distinctive winemaking philosophy. With a deep commitment to organic and biodynamic principles, Jestin has been instrumental in reshaping Champagne’s landscape emphasizing minimal intervention, innovative techniques and the respect of the natural rhythms of the vineyard and its environment.

With Jestin at the helm, Leclerc Briant has been on a perpetual transformative journey becoming today synonymous with bioenergetics. Infusing each bottle with a unique energy that speaks to both nature and artistry, Jestin continues to push the boundaries of Champagne with a daring spirit that’s notably reflected in some of the house’s most audacious cuvées, like The Abyss and Goldorak.
Hervé Jestin and Leclerc’s initial decision to stray from the familiar has become the hallmark of a Champagne house that continues to reimagine what it means to craft luxury.
A forward-thinking philosophy that ensures exceptional quality making Leclerc-Briant a true trailblazer in the industry. Because Jestin doesn’t just make wine—he makes statements.
I had the tremendous honor to chat with Hervé Jestin, whose vision and passion for champagne and Leclerc Briant are as compelling and vibrant as the wines he masterfully crafts today.
How did your passion for wine begin?

I was born into a wine merchant family. Both my grand-father and father were wine merchants in Brittany where my grandpa notably elaborated some sparkling wine filing a patent that was long exploited by the winemakers of Eastern Europe. His production amounted to several million bottles - a record most likely for France between the two wars. I started to taste wine at a young age and became interested in its history and its role for us as humans.
Your Champagne adventure began very early when you became cellar master at Champagne Duval Leroy where you remained for nearly a quarter of a century. What did this experience bring you? And what has been your greatest achievement?
I indeed became cellar master the day after my 25th birthday amid the 1982 harvest.
Champagne Duval-Leroy ranked among the top 10 most important Champagne houses.
Throughout these years spent in Vertus, I have experimented on many projects, some conventional others less so. I oversaw the entire production from the pressing to the shipping of labeled bottles which allowed me to have a transversal overview and to be able to draw information and correct course. That is probably what today’s chefs de caves lack. Thanks to the confidence the Duval Family Roger and Jean Duval, and then Carol Duval) invested in me, I was able to build one of the most successful teams. We transformed this beautiful Maison into one of the most modern and efficient Champagne houses of the region on all levels. We crafted numerous beautiful cuvées among which featured Fleur de Champagne and Authentis, Femme de Champagne, le Clos de la Bouverie … the first cuvées elaborated without sulfite, with low alcohol content, as well as the first bio and biodynamic cuvées, and this at the end of the 90s and early 2000s.
Respect for the environment and nature is your credo. What was the trigger that pushed you towards biodynamic viticulture?

I have always considered plants to be a living entity in interaction as well with a living environment. This approach, until recently, was not taught. Plants were mainly considered as a biochemical factory. Through its holistic approach, Biodynamics integrates the dimension of the living. Biodynamics is only a starting point for me today as opposed to an end point. It’s only the beginning of an adventure. What happens during harvest time and what happens during the long time it takes to age the wine? This question has been at the heart of my professional life for about 40 years.
Pascal Leclerc is considered a pioneer in biodynamic principles in Champagne. You worked alongside him before his regrettable passing. What influence did he have on you and you on him?
Pascal Leclerc was certainly one of the pioneers of biodynamics in our region. He showed foresight and demonstrated great courage at the beginning of the 90s, a time during which anything chemical reigned supreme and anything organic was mocked. I worked as a consultant alongside Pascal for a short period of time sharing with him my knowledge in biodynamic wines, while he, in return, gave me a larger and extremely intelligent vision of biodynamic viticulture.
I immensely appreciated his humanity and humility.
In 2012 the American couple Mark Nunnelly and his wife Denise Dupré acquired the brand, the vines and the cellars of Leclerc Briant giving a new lease of life to the Champagne House. What attracted you to these new owners and what challenges did you encounter?

My first meeting with Mark took place a few weeks before the official acquisition. We were put in touch via the business lawyer in charge of the negotiation. Mark immediately showed an interest in Pascal’s work and in my approach to wine. He expressed great enthusiasm for the future we were proposing for Leclerc Briant. Everything was fluid in this relationship, showing great respect for the house and its values. The vineyard had been sold and there was no source of supply since Leclerc Briant was not purchasing grapes. We thus had to rebuild everything, acquire vineyards, build relationships with organic and biodynamic winemakers who were less numerous than they are today, and create a coherent range of Champagne by investing in production facilities and tools, and join forces with partners who share our values. All this was made possible thanks to the patience, benevolence, and the financial as well as strategic contribution of Mark Nunnelly and his wife Denise Dupré.
Leclerc Briant is a house known for its non-conformist history – a story of winemakers ahead of their time who developed unique vinification technics. What does this family history of visionaries represent for you?
The wine world, and the world in general, urgently needs visionaries today. Pascal Leclerc, his dad Bertrand, were part of that generation who moved the needle. They often arrive onto the scene too early which is the reason why they are not recognized. These visionaries are a precious source of inspiration.
Bertrand Leclerc was one of the first individual in Champagne to adopt organic farming practices. His son Pascal then gradually, entirely converted the estate into biodynamic agriculture. You moved the lines further advocating for a bioenergetic approach.
What is bioenergetics and what are its advantages?
There are no such thing as biodynamic wines per se but rather wines emanating from biodynamic grapes. Rudolf Steiner (often considered the godfather of biodynamics for his work in the late 19th century, articulating the way Spiritual Science is different from modern science) didn’t work at all on the winemaking. There are no books written on vinification methods following biodynamic principles. Of course, I am not talking about the specifications of the appellation that enable one to obtain certifications but about the influence of certain phenomena on matter. These phenomena are of multiple nature, and it is desirable to identify the most important of them, the goal being to animate said matter. Biodynamic grapes constitute the starting point of this adventure. Without biodynamic grapes it's very difficult to obtain a high level of energy. Essentially, it’s about elaborating wines that resonate with the living. Wines capable of affecting us emotionally. The energy of a system corresponds to what contributes to its changing conditions. It is then possible to measure the energy of a wine, and to increase it throughout its elaboration process. That is the essence of the term Bioenergy.
Two experimentations particularly underline your bioenergetic approach: Abyss and Goldorak. Can you tell us more?

Abyss and Goldorak are indeed two illustrations of our bioenergetic endeavor.
The first one consists in submerging a cuvée, during a solar revolution, in an environment rich in life, namely the marine park of the Iroise sea – a milieu stirred by the encounter of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel. This cuvée becomes more refined, not in a cellar built by humans but in the heart of nature where it naturally soaks in the information of this mystical place. It’s an underwater aging process where the champagne ages for 15 months at a depth of 60 meters. What’s more natural than the sea?
The second one consists in letting a wine emanating from La Croisette - a chemical free plot - ferment in a stainless-steel barrel lined with 24-carat gold. There is a resonance between the solar energy and the wine, which is why the gold-lined barrel increases the solar activity during the stage of the first fermentation. Gold is rich in symbolism. Among other things it symbolizes the transmutation of raw material into a noble one.
Of all the cuvées you craft which one has specifically shaped your understanding of Leclerc Briant’s culture and essence?
Every generation shapes the culture and spirit of a business. We try to do our part in a hummingbird fashion with what we believe to know. We think that all our cuvées carry in them the message of nature, a universal message that unifies and unites. Each new cuvée carries a new know-how and tells a story that is enriched so long as we embody what nature whispers to us.
How do you see Leclerc Briant evolve in time and engage the next generation?

Leclerc Briant carries a message of great simplicity albeit tremendous strength. This message comes from far away. It will fall on the upcoming generations to preserve the force of this message and to adapt it to their epoch.
What is your most memorable champagne moment?
I was in my twenties and my father and I where at Champagne Philipponnat for a tasting. The cellar master at the time proceeded to disgorge by hand (“à la volée”) a Clos des Goisses 1996 Jeroboam – a pure marvel. Another grand moment was the tasting of a bottle of Salon 1964 with Marcel Guillaume (its former owner) and Roger Duval during a lunch he had prepared for us.
What is the one question you wished I had asked you and didn’t?
Why champagne? But reading between the lines, the answer is there …
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