élevage.
traction.
vin nature.
Bénédicte Ruppert and Emmanuel Leroy were physical education teachers before becoming vignerons. In 2010, they took over her father Gérard's sheep farm and 4 hectares of vines in southern Champagne's Aube department. Today they live in a log cabin surrounded by horses, cows, sheep and chickens, farming biodynamically and making zero-sulfur, zero-dosage Champagne from single parcels.
From sheep farming to horse plowing
Gérard Ruppert moved to Essoyes in 1975, establishing a sheep farm on a clearing above the village. When farming sheep became economically unviable in the 1980s, he planted vines on the grazing land—4 hectares in Essoyes and Noé-les-Mallets, selling all fruit to the cooperative until 2009.
"Working with the horses allows us to take the time to work without haste. What a pleasure to be in the middle of our vineyards with our two horses under the sun and to feel the ground in our hands through our plows."
— Bénédicte Leroy on trading tractors for traction
When Bénédicte and Manu took over in 2009, they had one condition: convert to organic farming and make their own wines. Using Manu's background in ecological construction, they built a straw bale winery and a log cabin home. Certified organic in 2008, Demeter biodynamic in 2014.
Bénédicte learned winemaking from Bertrand Gautherot of Vouette & Sorbée, with additional guidance from Pierre Overnoy in the Jura. These natural wine pioneers shaped their pursuit of "vin nature"—no sulfur since 2013, indigenous yeasts only, no fining or filtering.
Kimmeridgian marl & Portlandian limestone
Essoyes sits in the Côte des Bar, Champagne's southern frontier 40 miles from Chablis. The terroir resembles Burgundy more than classic Champagne: Kimmeridgian marl (white limestone and clay) and brown Portlandian limestone rather than pure chalk. Three parcels on southeast-facing hills produce distinctly different wines.
- Fosse-Grely The original family vineyard — clay-rich soils, Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
- Les Cognaux Grey Kimmeridgian marl — tension, red fruit, minerality
- Papillon Named for butterflies — original massale selection planted by Gérard
- Southeast Exposure Three parcels on hillsides, braided shoots (no topping)
One plot, one vintage, one cuvée
Unlike traditional Champagne houses that blend dozens of parcels and vintages, Ruppert-Leroy produces single-vineyard expressions. Each cuvée represents one specific terroir in one specific year—no dosage, no sulfur, no liqueur de tirage. The 11,12,13... cuvée is a perpetual reserve solera containing every vintage since 2011.
Indigenous yeasts only. Nine months aging on fine lees in barrel and demi-muids. Natural malolactic fermentation. Bottled with no liqueur de tirage (no added sugar for secondary fermentation). Aged 18-20 months sur latte. Disgorged with zero dosage. No sulfur added since 2013.
Autonomy & Solidarity
The Leroys pursue complete autonomy. They grow their own grains, raise their own animals, create their own compost from cow-horn manure, and produce their own biodynamic preparations. When a devastating frost hit in 2021, they created "Puzzle"—a one-off cuvée made with donated grapes from organic neighbors, symbolizing the community solidarity that defines natural wine.
Lightweight tractors to avoid soil compaction. Cow-horn silica and herbal sprays. Braiding upper vine shoots instead of topping (avoiding plant stress). De-budding to reduce yields. The farm operates as a closed organism—animals, vines, grains, and people interdependent.
Manu built their bioclimatic cellar using straw bale construction—natural insulation, breathable walls, minimal environmental impact. It's winemaking architecture that breathes with the seasons, just as their wines breathe with their terroir.
"We don't do complicated things. We want to produce wines that explain our terroirs."
— Bénédicte on their straightforward philosophy