"A cœur ouvert: A trying wine year comes to an end. Should we turn the page or learn from it?
Even if the vineyards have gradually turned green again, our beautiful valley and village will have suffered. The average harvests recorded here and there by fellow winegrowers bear witness to the violence of the frosts at first, but above all to record rainfall synonymous with unprecedented attacks of mildew.
Let's all be humbled by nature's beauty and strength, because one thing is certain: climate change is becoming increasingly visible.
From a personal point of view, 2021 will have highlighted our weaknesses: the youthfulness of our change of model in 2017, with the transition from 100% cooperative to 100% independent, our plot of land on a single terroir and the conversion to organic viticulture on the estate.
This risk-taking and commitment to producing champagnes with identity and virtue are now accompanied by some brutal economic realities.
Of course, there is the individual reserve, and even if it was set up under our old cooperative model and can therefore be used differently, this fabulous interprofessional tool will serve more than ever to maintain equilibrium...so let's salute the Champagne profession for creating this shock absorber.
So yes 2021 was a very difficult year for my team and especially for the families...but the passion for this job is intact and the desire to bounce back is still there!!!!
The road to the BIO label will undoubtedly take longer, but BIO and BIODYNAMY practices will continue to be applied, studied and tested.
The environmental efforts we've been making for years now will always be central to my philosophy.
The year 2022 is on the horizon with enormous anticipation, with all the lessons of this incredible year in mind.
See you in 2022...."
Signed David Faivre of the Robert Faivre Champagne House