Champagne Benoit Munier — Purist Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs
Champagne Benoit Munier is a Vigneron-Maison from Cuis in the Côte des Blancs, led by Benoît and Séverine Munier. The family has been cultivating vines since 1930. Today Benoît and Séverine craft purist Blanc de Blancs from Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites — without Dosage, without filtration, without fining.
The Maison works in four villages: Cuis (Premier Cru), Avize, Cramant and Bouzy (all Grand Cru). The entire grape variety portfolio focuses on Chardonnay. The soils range from chalk in Cramant and Avize to clay-limestone in Bouzy. The approach is artisanal, minimally intervened, natural.
History
The Maison was founded in 1930 as a vigneron operation. Nearly a century later, Benoît and Séverine Munier lead the domaine with an uncompromising approach: no herbicides, no enzymes, no fining, no filtration, no cold stabilization. Only time, patience and precision.
The 2017 vintage was an acid test. On the night of April 21st, late frost struck in Avize. Benoît and Séverine fought all night with fires and wind machines against the ice. Two weeks before harvest, 50 millimeters of rain followed with massive botrytis pressure. Benoît went through the vines three times to select only healthy grape material during hand harvesting. The result: Les Avats du Levant – Avize Grand Cru 2017, only 1746 bottles, with saline freshness and fine spice despite one of the most difficult vintages.
2018 and 2019 brought further tirages: In June 2019 the Vieilles Vignes Cramant 2018 from three old parcels, only 699 bottles. In April 2018 the first bottling of Les Avats du Levant 2017.
Vignoble & Soil
The Maison cultivates parcels in four villages of the Côte des Blancs: Cuis (Premier Cru), Avize, Cramant and Bouzy (all Grand Cru). All vineyard areas are planted with Chardonnay.
The soils are geologically diverse: In Cramant and Avize, chalk dominates, calcareous, cool layers that give the wine salinity and precision. In Bouzy lies clay-limestone, warmer, more structured. The Millésime 2018 combines both signatures: 35 percent Cramant (chalk), 65 percent Bouzy (clay-limestone) — razor-sharp, powerful, deep.
The Vieilles Vignes Cramant 2018 comes from three old parcels in Cramant, all over 55 years old. The Les Avats du Levant is a single vineyard in Avize. The Millésime 2015 combines four Lieux-Dits in Avize, all on calcareous soil.
Viticulture & Sustainability
The domaine works without herbicides. The grapes are hand-harvested, in cases of botrytis pressure selected multiple times. Benoît and Séverine rely on a natural approach: no synthetic treatments, no machine harvest, no shortcuts.
In the frost year 2017, they fought all night with fires and wind machines against the ice in Avize. Two weeks before harvest, after 50 millimeters of rain and botrytis pressure, Benoît went through the vines three times to select only healthy material during hand harvest. This care is reflected in the cuvées: precise, clear, without compromise.
Vinification
The vinification is purist. Benoît and Séverine age their Chardonnays in wooden barrels, usually ten months. No enzymes, no fining, no filtration, no cold stabilization. Malolactic fermentation is blocked to preserve acidity. All cuvées are bottled without Dosage — Brut Nature, Zero Dosage.
The philosophy is simple: time, patience, precision. The wines should show what the parcel gives, without masking, without technical interventions. The Millésime 2018 for example was completely fermented dry, unfiltered, without malolactic fermentation — powerful, structured, razor-sharp.
The tirages take place after long aging in wood: April 2018 for the Les Avats du Levant 2017, June 2019 for the Vieilles Vignes Cramant 2018. The Millésime 2015 lay six years on the lees before being disgorged — taut, saline, aromatically deep.
The Cuvées in Detail
Vieilles Vignes Cramant 2018
Sateé-Spieße, Mango-Chutney, Brokkoli vom Grill, Cashews, Reis, Limette. Das klingt nach Urlaub. War aber Montagnachmittag. Die Idee: etwas…
Schon beim Einschenken merkt man: Diese Flasche ist keine Spielerei. @champagne_benoit_munier – Vieilles Vignes – Cramant 2018 Ein 100 %…
Grill, Gemüse, Wraps. Und im Glas? Präzision pur. Heute Mittag war die Stimmung so frei wie das Essen. Die Kinder wollten Wraps – Freestyle…
Three old parcels in Cramant Grand Cru, all over 55 years old. Hand harvest on August 29, 2018. Ten months in wood, completely fermented dry. Tirage June 2019. Only 699 bottles produced. Delicate, floral, citrus, chalk, salinity.
100% Chardonnay · 0 g/l Dosage · Wooden barrel · Cramant Grand Cru (chalk)
Millésime 2018 Cramant & Bouzy
A powerful assemblage from two Grand Cru terroirs: 35 percent Cramant (chalk), 65 percent Bouzy (clay-limestone). Aged in wood, unfiltered, without malolactic fermentation. Razor-sharp, structured, with depth and clarity. A wine that shows what minimally intervened vinification can achieve.
100% Chardonnay · 0 g/l Dosage · no MLF · Cramant & Bouzy Grand Cru (chalk & clay-limestone)
Les Avats du Levant – Avize Grand Cru 2017
Single vineyard in Avize Grand Cru. Aged in wooden barrels without enzymes, fining, filtration or cold stabilizer. Tirage April 2018, bottle number 393 of 1746. Saline freshness, citrus notes, fine spice. A wine from one of the most difficult vintages — late frost, botrytis, triple hand harvest.
100% Chardonnay · 0 g/l Dosage · Wooden barrel · Avize Grand Cru (chalk)
Millésime 2015
Four Lieux-Dits in Avize Grand Cru, all on calcareous soil. Hand harvest on September 11, 2015 at 10.5 degrees Celsius. Without herbicides, additives, filtration or fining. Six years on the lees. Taut structure, saline precision, aromatically deep, long finish. A Blanc de Blancs that needs time — and gives it.
100% Chardonnay · 0 g/l Dosage · 72 months aging · Avize Grand Cru (chalk)
My Tastings
- Vieilles Vignes Cramant 2018 (2018) · July 19, 2025
- Millésime 2018 Cramant & Bouzy (2018) · July 16, 2025
- Les Avats du Levant – Avize Grand Cru 2017 (2017) · June 2, 2025
- Millésime 2015 (2015) · May 1, 2025
Facts
| Maison | Champagne Benoit Munier |
|---|---|
| Category | RM (Récoltant-Manipulant) |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Leadership | Benoît Munier and Séverine Munier |
| Address | 1 rue Proquot, 51530 Cuis |
| Region | Côte des Blancs, Marne (51) |
| Cru Status | Premier Cru (Cuis), Grand Cru parcels (Avize, Cramant, Bouzy) |
| Grape Varieties | 100% Chardonnay |
| Villages | Cuis, Avize, Cramant, Bouzy |
| Soil | Chalk (Cramant, Avize), clay-limestone (Bouzy) |
| Approach | Artisanal, minimally intervened, no herbicides |
| Aging | Wooden barrel, no MLF, no filtration, no fining |
| Dosage | 0 g/l (Brut Nature / Zero Dosage) |
| Website | champagne-munier.com |
| @champagne_benoit_munier | |
| champagne.munier@gmail.com |
Sources for this portrait: Maison website, personal tastings, CRM data and cross-checks. Fields without sufficient verification remain open.