Olivier Horiot

Champagne

Les Riceys

Olivier Horiot took over his family’s estate in Les Riceys, Côte des Bar, in 1999. He swiftly transitioned to organic and biodynamic practices, emphasizing terroir-driven winemaking. The estate spans 8.7 hectares, predominantly planted with Pinot Noir. Horiot’s approach is rooted in precision and authenticity, aiming to craft wines that genuinely reflect the unique terroir of the Côte des Bar. This region, characterized by its Kimmeridgian limestone soils, is more akin to Burgundy than the rest of Champagne, offering a distinctive foundation for Horiot’s wines. Each vineyard parcel is carefully monitored, and yields are deliberately low to concentrate flavors. His meticulous work in the vineyard ensures that each grape fully expresses the minerality, structure, and aromatic complexity of the soil. The attention to detail from vine to bottle defines the character of every cuvée and elevates Horiot’s Champagne to a rare standard of authenticity.

In producing his Rosé des Riceys, Horiot employs meticulous methods. Grapes from the En Valingrain and En Barmont vineyards are foot-trodden and undergo a 5–6 day maceration before aging in older barrels for several years. These wines are neither fined nor filtered, preserving their purity and character. Whole bunches are added to enhance structure, while gentle pumping over twice a day ensures optimal extraction without harshness. The wines spend at least three years aging before release, allowing them to develop depth, finesse, and harmony. The result is a rosé that stands out for its elegance and complexity, capturing both the freshness of the fruit and the stony minerality of the limestone slopes. His parcel-focused approach is so precise that some of his Champagnes, true gems, are produced for only a few hundred bottles per vintage. Horiot’s dedication to highlighting the region’s terroir, combined with his unmatched talent and sense of timing, produces Champagnes that are precise, authentic, and utterly distinctive. Each bottle is a true expression of the Côte des Bar, reflecting its soils, climate, and the winemaker’s visionary touch.