Insu

The History of Champagne Insu

Pierre-Gabriel Diarra grew up with two cultures: his mother is from Hautvillers, and his father is from Dakar, Senegal. He grew up listening to stories from his maternal grandmother, whose family has cultivated vines in Hautvillers for generations. After graduating in viticulture and enology in Bordeaux in 2008, he first pursued a career in technology, in England and then France. Eventually, the pull of his roots prevailed. In 2018, he took over some of the family vines, which had previously been leased out, with their grapes sold to Champagne houses. He then founded Champagne Insu, becoming the fourth generation of his family to grow grapes in Hautvillers.

The name Insu evokes what remains unknown and the curiosity that drives us to learn. Pierre-Gabriel draws on advice from winegrowers in Écueil and Romery. He also finds support and friendship in Aurélien Lurquin, Gaspard Brochet, and Alexandre Lamblot. He made his first wines in 2021 at the family home in the heart of the village. The first vintages amounted to only a few thousand bottles.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Champagne Insu

Hautvillers overlooks the Marne, just north of Cumières. It is home to the abbey where Dom Pérignon served. Although classified as a Premier Cru, the village is rarely celebrated for its own wines. The estate cultivates about three hectares across six plots in the heart of the village: nearly two hectares of Pinot Noir, one hectare of Chardonnay, and around 30 ares of Meunier. The vines, planted in the 1970s and 1980s, grow on varied soils: chalk, clayey silt over chalk, and clay mixed with meulière, a reddish-brown siliceous stone typical of the area.

As soon as he took over, Pierre-Gabriel converted these formerly conventionally farmed vines to organic farming, with Ecocert certification. All work is done by hand, with the aim of producing ripe, concentrated grapes. The 2021 vintage, the first harvest to be released, was cold, yielding small berries, low yields, and intense flavors.

Winemaking at Champagne Insu

Pierre-Gabriel embraces a Burgundy-inspired approach: each cuvée comes from a single grape variety, a single plot, and a single vintage. The grapes are gently pressed at Aurélien Lurquin's facility. The musts then go directly into previously used 228- to 500-liter barrels or stoneware vessels. Fermentation starts spontaneously. The estate avoids lees stirring and pumping, limiting sulfur to a small addition at pressing.

The wines age on their lees in barrels for around ten months, without fining or filtration. They then mature in bottle for about three years, first under a crown cap and then under a cork. All the Champagnes are Brut Nature, with no sugar added at disgorgement. The result is powerful, vinous, saline wines.

The Cuvées of Champagne Insu

Les Coutures: the estate's only blanc de blancs, this 100% Chardonnay comes from the Les Coutures vineyard on the edge of Hautvillers, on east-facing chalky soil. Following spontaneous fermentation and about a year of aging in barrels, it is produced in a run of just under 1,200 bottles. This Brut Nature combines a rich texture, chalk-driven tension, and pronounced salinity.

Les Hautes Maladries: this 100% Pinot Noir blanc de noirs comes from vines planted in 1985 in the east-facing Les Maladries vineyard, on clayey silt over chalk. Pressed directly into barrels, aged for eleven months, and then matured in bottle for more than three years, it is produced in a run of around 1,200 bottles. It is an intense, vinous expression of Hautvillers Pinot Noir.

Le Pignon: this Pinot Noir, planted in 1971, grows on a south-facing plot. Its silty clay soil, mixed with reddish-brown meulière stone, lies over a chalky subsoil. Aged for a year on the lees in barrels, without filtration or fining, it is produced in a run of around 700 bottles. This deep, structured Brut Nature is one of the estate's rarest cuvées.

Le Noyer de l'Orme du Midi: this pure Pinot Noir comes from vines planted in 1971 on silty clay soil. After spontaneous fermentation and twelve months aging on the lees in barrels, it is produced in a run of around 700 bottles. With no dosage, it expresses the full depth of its old vines, with a generous, vinous texture.

Le Noyer de l'Orme du Nord: a counterpart to the preceding cuvée, this 100% Pinot Noir blanc de noirs comes from vines planted in 1988 on north-facing silty clay soil. The cooler exposure gives it a more taut profile. It spends a year in barrels before being released as a Brut Nature. With fewer than 700 bottles produced, it is one of the estate's most limited cuvées.