Franck Pascal - Champagne, France
HEALTHY DIRT = HAPPY VINES
= EXCEPTIONAL CHAMPAGNE
We began visiting Champagne growers independently (through our own research and on our own dime) several years ago with the intention of finding producers who were working in the most honorable ways and making the best wines the region had to offer that would express the grapes, ground and their good work. One of the growers we visited in the early-ish days was Franck Pascal. The way Franck spoke about his wines, the way he worked with the vines, and the astounding energy of his Champagnes provided an essential backdrop for understanding the underground revolution that was taking place with the best growers throughout the region. Franck wasn't just making Champagne; he was part of a paradigm shift that has had a domino effect in inspiring younger (and less young) growers to work better in the vineyards, and, as a result, make better wines with more soul and greater verve.
Due to Pascal and others, the topic of the "terroir" of and within Champagne is no longer an obscure concept reserved for "Champagne geeks" but a driving force behind the region's best wines and brightest stars. Like all of the greatest wines on this earth, the best wines of Champagne's new guard exhibit a sense of place that is singular to the footbeds of their roots. Franck Pascal's Champagnes are singular, expressive and complex for this reason.
Man of the vines.
At the time of our visit with Franck, he had just signed on with a national importer in the USA, which meant we could not order directly from him via our Almost Direct Imports program, thereby eliminating a tier of distribution. We worked with the importer to procure the wines we wanted, but over time it became more and more difficult to feature Franck's wines with any sort of continuity.
We have worked with the new local importer to get the wines back in the shop at the most reasonable prices possible. Not saying they're cheap (but, hey, neither is Franck's work ethic!), but with a tier removed they are competitive and a relative knock-out value-wise. We are thrilled to have more direct access to the Franck Pascal Champagnes we love and have been missing for far too long!
A SPECIAL NOTE ON FRANCK’S RELIANCE
Franck Pascal is one of those winemakers that - right now - a lot of people don't know, but eventually many people will and then all the people who did know will wish that everybody who now knows didn't know. What can we say? Franck's a good guy to know. From Epernay, follow the Marne River west beyond the vastly vine-decorated open valleys of central Champagne through lush hills and quaint villages garnished with vibrant flowers until arriving to the village of Baslieux-sous-Chatillon at the western edge of the heart of the region.
It's quiet here, the land is different, the air feels crisper, the light softer, and somehow it seems a little more carefree than the more populated centralized villages of Champagne. On foot or by car, you'd pass right by Franck's winery on the narrow street without a thought about there being wine on the other side of what looks like a garage door. Inside, you'd learn the story about an ambitious small Champagne producer who was an engineer by trade and at one time studied biological warfare in the army. Franck explains that he left engineering to take over the family's small vineyard holdings and, impacted by what he saw in the army (effects of chemicals on humans), geared his scientific knowledge toward natural winemaking and put his faith in biodynamic farming.
Lineup at shop with John Coltrane.
The benefits of Franck's approach are far-reaching. It requires extreme discipline and dedication to work without chemicals in the vineyards of Champagne, and natural winemaking is virtually impossible (or at least entirely unsuccessful) if the fruit is not healthy and clean. The obstacles are endless, and one might logically muse that an engineer would not rely more heavily on nature and human intuition as it relates to nature instead of chemical assistance over nature, but this former engineer sees things through a different lens.
His magnificent non-vintage cuvée, "Reliance," was initially named named "Sagesse," root word "sage," translation: wisdom. prudence. vigilance. It was a reference to Franck's shift towards organics/biodynamics/natural winemaking which required a swap between the human ego and mother nature. Franck began to pay attention to the vines and the wine in a different way and learned that what it had to say to him was more meaningful than his own ability to lead it someplace he thought it should go. Unfortunately, Franck was notified by a wine producer in southern France that they have the rights to the name "Sagesse" so he had to come up with a new name. What he landed on the second time was the English word, "Reliance". There is no direct French translation but Franck liked the word for this wine because: "This name speaks about "convivialité - friendliness, conviviality. This Champagne participates in this special atmosphere/ambiance when you see, visit or invite friends. It enforces or creates links between people." It's perfect. It encompasses the old name - human reliance on nature - while embracing human connection with each other and with the wine/nature. (article by Stephanie Sprinkle)
Click on each wine for more detail.