Champagne Ullens
Domaine de Marzilly finds its origins in Marzilly, a lieu-dit situated by the village of Hermonville in the picturesque greenery of the Massif de Saint-Thierry, the northernmost area of the Champagne region. Created by Maxime Ullens, a young Belgian, the Domaine, independent and family-run, produces its characterful champagnes with great respect for regional traditions and local biodiversity.
THE ORIGIN OF THE DOMAINE
The enchanting story of the Domaine began in 2012 when Maxime and his father acquired the ruins of the Château de Marzilly. Fascinated with this building that dates back to the XII century but has been abandoned for several decades, they have decided to help it regain its former glory and thus have started reconstruction works.Soil analyses done in the Château's park as well as research made in local archives gave the family an opportunity to discover details about Marzilly's vinicultural past. Inspired by the area's rich history and by traditional vinification methods, Maxime Ullens put a full stop to this career in historic renovation in Belgium and, together with his wife Anna, accepted the challenge of creating a new winery. This is when Domaine de Marzilly and its Champagne Ullens were born.
LAND & KNOW-HOW
Proud of its origin, the Domaine has fixed a clear goal: to put forward the cultural and historical heritage of Marzilly and of the Massif de Saint-Thierry, while working with local resources and respecting the traditional know-how of the region.
To cultivate and to preserve
Today, Domaine de Marzilly works with approximately 4 hectares of vines in the Massif de Saint-Thierry. The production is mainly focused on meunier, the flagship grape variety of this sandy zone of Champagne. Chardonnay, even though present in a smaller proportion, also plays an integral part in the Domaine's winemaking.Created with respect to the terroir and biodiversity, the Domaine already possesses two important certifications: Haute Valeur Environnementale level 3, the highest level of this certification (HVE 3), as well as Viticulture Durable en Champagne (VDC).The Clos de Marzilly, one of the region's few historical clos, is the Domaine's most emblematic vineyard and is totally covered with meunier. Taken care of without any mechanical interference and according to organic and biodynamical postulates, this plot is currently in the process of obtaining the Ecocert certification.
A UNIQUE APPROACH
Domaine de Marzilly stands apart not only thanks to its involvement in the preservation of the historical legacy but also thanks to its active position in protecting the biodiversity and to its know-how that joggles modernity with tradition. This unique approach has been acknowledged by professionals with the guide Gault & Millau naming Maxime Ullens « Winemaker of the year 2020 » and the Bettane+Desseauve 2021 including him in the list of "Genius of tomorrow".Constantly developing new projects Domaine de Marzilly shelters several hives with black French bees perfectly adapted to local ecosystems and is a proud member of the League for the birds protection (Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux). There are also Faverolles hens living in the Château's park: during certain periods of the year, they are put in the vineyards in order to stimulate the soil's and the vine's health.
