Deutz presents its Hommage à William Deutz

Hommage à William Deutz is a Champagne that decidedly affirms the greatness of the Aÿ terroir and Deutz’s savoir-faire in producing Pinot Noir from select parcels.

Only one village, the Grand Cru one of Aÿ, and only one grape, the varietal that made Champagne an outstanding winemaking region, Pinot Noir. Using the 2010 harvest, Deutz has for the first time come out with a single-varietal bubbly made from grapes that strongly express the character of two parcels that were acquired when the Maison was founded in 1838, La Côte Glacière (1.92 hectares) and Meurtet (2.42 hectares), a unique cuvée created as a homage to founder William Deutz.

Although Maison Deutz is often remembered for the elegance and finesse of its Amour de Deutz, a Blanc de Blanc epitomizing the exceptional grapes from the villages of Avize, Le-Mesnil and Villers-Marmery, it should be pointed out that the imprint left by the Chardonnay came about only after the helm of the Maison was taken over by Fabrice Rosset, who has been its the chairman and CEO since 1993, which coincided with Roederer boss Jean-Claude Rouzaud acquiring Deutz, to then let the Maison maintain its productive, stylistic and commercial independence.

A Champagne made from only Pinot Noir is more than just a lark for Deutz given the history the Maison has with Aÿ, considered by many to be the ‘moral’ capital of Champagne. In fact, it was William Deutz himself who decided to move there in 1838 from Aix-la-Chapelle in order to buy the best vineyards in this jewel on the Marne and produce Champagne.

William Deutz was convinced of the extraordinary potential of his vineyards in Aÿ and this not just because of the characteristics of the soil, which has a thin layer of clay covering belemnite chalk, but above all because of the various exposures, pitches and altitudes of the different parcels in this Cru, elements that give the Pinot Noir unique characteristics. William Deutz firmly believed that together these different parcels could offer a vast variety of expressions with each plot expressing its own individual and recognizable voice. William was never able to realize his idea of creating a blend of the same grape from only parcels in Aÿ but his successor Fabrice Rosset, assisted by Chef de Cave Michel Davesne, has completed this mission with his Hommage à William Deutz.

The two vineyards – La Côte Glacière that faces south and Meurtet which faces southeast – are considered by Aÿ winemakers to be parcels where the Pinot Noir is distinguished by its exceptional elegance, impressive complexity and a particularly attractive vinous character.

Hommage à William Deutz is undoubtedly an important novelty for the Maison. And this because it decidedly affirms the greatness of the Aÿ terroir and is a demonstration of the savoir-faire Deutz has in producing a single-grape Pinot Noir wine from specific parcels. It also rightfully highlights the importance of William Deutz, who had a clear vision of the grandiose future of his Maison.

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