Choppin’s Symphony in C: Champagne Notes of Terroir, Tradition and Pitch-Perfect Authenticity

A prelude to an exclusive interview with Benjamin Choppin, the composer behind Champagne Maurice Choppin, giving each wine its full voice.

Just a few kilometers from Épernay, in the vineyards of Damery, Benjamin Choppin is crafting a Champagne that speaks unmistakably of its land and its maker. Seven generations of family heritage meet a deeply personal vision and a mission to create wines that are expressive, precise, and true to their origins.

Inspired by the ethos of “Belle Champagne”, a philosophy that honors exceptional terroirs and the art of the vigneron, Benjamin invites wine lovers into his authentic world. Raised among the vines, he always knew he would dedicate his life to winemaking. At just 23, he returned to the family estate to bring his own vision of Champagne to life.

Rejecting the pressures of standardization, he aspires to create Champagnes that are reclaimed by those proud of their roots, attentive to life, and guided by love for their craft. His mission is simple: to make wines that reflect the year and the land, rather than conforming to a stereotyped product.

At the estate, every vineyard operation, from tending the vines to harvesting, is done with meticulous care, guided by a philosophy centered on respect for life. The wines are crafted to reveal the personality of each plot and its geology, vinified in oak barrels sourced exclusively from Champagne cooperages. These bespoke barrels are living vessels, working in harmony with the House’s style to preserve perfect balance without artifice.

Sustainability and biodiversity are central to the Domaine’s philosophy brought to life through Benjamin’s fully artisanal and ecological approach. No herbicides, no insecticides, only certified organic composts, and biodiversity encouraged through surrounding meadows, trees, and flowering fallows. Each wine mirrors the vineyard it comes from, made by a grower who works with care and refuses to compromise on authenticity.

For anyone seeking the soul of the Vallée de la Marne in a glass, Benjamin Choppin offers an invitation to taste not just Champagne, but a philosophy pulsing with character, textured and deeply personal.

I had the pleasure of stepping into Benjamin’s world, uncovering the inspirations and discovering the passion and vision behind every bottle he crafts.

Could you briefly retrace the history of Champagne Maurice Choppin and what makes it such a singular estate?

Our family has been deeply rooted in the Champagne region since 1790. For a long time, we practiced mixed farming. I took over the estate in 2012 after my father Maurice, who was self-taught. I began by isolating each parcel at harvest time in order to better understand the different terroirs of our domaine. My wife Marine joined me in 2017. She also comes from a long lineage of winegrowers in the Marne Valley. The merging of our estates now allows us to work across five different villages: Damery, Vinay, Saint-Martin-d’Ablois, Leuvrigny, and Binson-et-Orquigny.

How does your family heritage influence the way you run the estate today, and how do you balance tradition with your own vision and innovations?

My family heritage influences me in the sense that I feel deeply responsible for our plant material. Many parcels were planted by our great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents, and maintaining this heritage remains an ongoing challenge.

My father already used oak barrels for vinification, and he passed on this passion to me through that medium. He also worked the soils using ploughs, so continuing in that direction felt natural.

As for tradition, I do not impose any obligations on myself. Today, the estate reflects mine and Marine’s vision. We have made no compromises from the beginning and have chosen to follow our own path.

Your estate is recognized for its integrated viticulture, particularly on old vines. What are the advantages and specific characteristics of working with old vine stock?

These old vines, planted through massal selection, have never been more relevant. Their genetic diversity offers remarkable resilience in the face of climate change. Their deeply rooted root systems allow them to withstand climatic challenges and provide an extremely precise mineral expression. However, they leave no room for mediocrity. Everything must be executed with precision: adapted pruning systems, proper soil nutrition, and impeccable canopy management.

Why did you choose to vinify exclusively in oak barrels from Champagne cooperages? What does this living material bring to the expression of your lieux-dits and champagnes?

With their extensive experience in Champagne, the toasting of these barrels is perfectly suited to the finesse of our wines. Being able to work with local partners is a privilege.

Having our coopers close by allows us to taste the wines together, exchange ideas, and adapt the vessel to the wine’s needs.

Indigenous yeasts play an important role in your approach. What do they reveal about the identity of the estate, the clarity of terroirs, and the personality of your wines?

Quite simply, they perfectly express the nature and minerality of each terroir with great precision. They remain the simplest and most ancestral way of making wine. In our natural winemaking approach, they are entirely logical. Making wine should be something simple.

Your wines are vinified by lieux-dits and all are vintage-dated. How does this approach influence aromatic expression, and how would you describe the signature style of Maurice Choppin champagnes?

This is a personal interpretation and a deliberate choice. It follows the same logic as Burgundy. We felt it would be a shame to homogenize singular identities through blending.

The signature of Maurice Choppin champagnes is Balance and Minerality.

Is there a particular cuvée that you feel fully embodies the identity and craftsmanship of the House?

The Damery cuvée. It represents the village where our estate is located and reflects the character of a given year (the vintage), through a blending approach. It spends six years in the cellar before release and is bottled under cork. The Damery cuvée serves as a bridge between blended wines and single-vineyard lieux-dits within our range.

How has the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) certification strengthened your commitment to respecting living ecosystems, and how does it fit into your vision of truly “authentic and natural” champagnes?

For the estate, this certification was largely a formality. It represents a standard and did not influence our practices, as we had already adopted them. We believe it is a driving force for the future of Champagne. It did not change our commitment in any way. We have always ploughed our soils, never used herbicides, and we fertilize using organic compost. We also rely on soil pits to study macrofauna. This direct window into the “memory” of the soil allows us to document its formation and evaluate both its fertility and water-retention capacity.

How do you envision the future of Domaine Maurice Choppin and, more broadly, the evolution of Champagne in the years to come?

The future will depend on plant material and the ability to adapt to climate change in order to produce increasingly precise wines. This means adapting to each individual vine, from which quality viticulture will naturally follow. I hope that winegrowers will take on a more important role within Champagne and reclaim ownership of their terroirs, in service of both the great houses and the Champagne industry.

What do you wish to convey or evoke in customers when they discover the world of Champagne Maurice Choppin?

Honest, precise wines that do not rely on artifice.

To show the birthplace of the wine, which I find deeply inspiring.

Each vintage reflects the climatic conditions of its year, directly influencing the wine’s character.

Behind every wine, there is a story.

If champagne had a superpower, what would it be?

Simply making people happy.

What is the most unforgettable moment you’ve experienced around a champagne?

It feels too difficult to answer, as there have been so many unforgettable moments shared around extraordinary champagnes.

For more information visit: https://champagne-choppin.fr/