Champagne Leclaire-Thiefaine Terre Blanche 2020

Today, Domaine Leclaire-Thiéfaine comprises approximately six hectares of vines, the majority of which are located in the prestigious Côte des Blancs grand crus of Avize, Cramant, and Oger.

“The [philosophy surrounding the] work carried out in the vines is to give them what they need, and to be as respectful to the surrounding life, and above all to preserve them,” Constantin explains, citing that his vision equally extends to respecting the identity of each terroir as much as possible, both with blends and single-vineyard wines. Constantin also credits French winemaker Mathieu Kauffman as one of his mentors. “He provides many answers to my questions and supports me on blending days,” he says.

At Domaine Leclaire-Thiéfaine, all fruit is hand picked, and each cuvée ages for a minimum of four years in the cellar prior to disgorgement. Constantin cites the desire to continue his family’s tradition as one of his greatest inspirations, particularly because his father’s need to work a side job didn’t allow him to be a winemaker full time. (Constantin notes that his father worked as a Champagne broker, thus his cousin handled winemaking from 2003 to 2012, followed by Eric de Sousa from 2013 to 2019.) “This is why I returned for the 2020 harvest—to resume winemaking after my grandfather,” he explains, emphasizing his daily desire to discover the expressions of his family’s terroir, while also pushing the family estate forward.