Champagne Maxime Ponson

We were looking for a producer in La Petite Montagne due to the outstanding quality-to-price-ratio that can be found in the area. We found Maxime Ponson who first of all produces a fantastic quality and secondly does so at a very competitive price point!

The terroir of La Petite Montagne

La Petite Montagne is the part of Montagne de Reims with a lower elevation. It lies north-west of the most famous vineyards (which together are known as the Grand Montagne) in a straight line of premier cru villages. Here the soils are more varied as custom for a mountainous region. The soil consists of chalk, limestone and clay among others. Maxime owns 13,5 hectares divided in 70 parcels in seven villages - from north to south: Vrigny, Coulommes-la-Montagne, Pargny-lès-Reims, Jouy-lès-Reims, Ville-Dommange, Sacy and Ecueil.

In the vineyard

Maxime really manages a large domain, but only bottles a small portion (≈10%) in his own label. Like so many young men his domain started out over the conflict for cultivating organic. He was pro, but his father was skeptical to say the least. Today Maxime has taken over the entire domain and treats all the vineyards equally well. Most of the grapes however still goes to his fathers brand. He believes that it is the best way to work for the environment and we can only applaud his actionsthat he acts uncompromisingly according to his philosophies. Maxime is very passionate and curious; last time we visited him he suddenly had sheep in his vineyard as an experiment. Even with seventy plots he knows them intimately as we have discovered walking in them with him. He explained the different parts of the vineyards where the sun leaves first in the night, noticing the small curves…

In the cellar

Maxime has a rather large setup and therefore a complete setup in house. From the press the juice is transferred to fermentation in stainless steel. This is done by native yeast. Wines that need to open will be transferred to wooden barrels in various sizes, but wood is the exception in this cellar. Here stainless steel is the norm and barrels are for helping wines out. In the cellar Maximes desires to test his grape material and his own abilities. This can be seen in his quest for wines without added sulfur. Maxime here relies completely on his senses. He loads a plot of Pinot Noir into the press and discards the first few liters. Hereafter straight into a wooden barrel. He regularly tastes while the press continues to fill the barrel. When the quality of the juice drops he waits for the next load and so he continues. A very simple approach that only works due to the quality of the grapes harvested.

The wines of Maxime

Maximes portfolio is currently formed by two non vintage blends called “Premier Cru” and “La Petite Montagne”. The latter being a luxurious blend of all the grapes dominated by a single vintage but with reserve wines. The wine spends a long time sur lattes - often 6 years which adds a complexity that really makes this wine hit high on the initial noted price to quality ratio. It is a great wine and a great entry to the area. A few single vineyards are made each vintage. The phenomenal Blanc des blancs from Les Barbaries simply called “Barbaries” is a wine that showcases the mineral quality of the region which together with a vivid acidity gives this wine a refreshing linearity.
Other wines are occasionally made, but when asked to formerly produced single vineyards the answer is often that taking it out of the blends would compromise the quality. But we know that the future will give us a few more drops of magnificent single vineyards from Maxime.