Mathieu recently took over his parents' vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant, and vinifies in his cellar in Aÿ. The vineyards sit in the Côte des Blancs, the cellar over in the Vallée de la Marne.

Matthieu is firmly one of the most exciting producers of the new Champagne generation. Alongside his own recently acquired family vineyards he teaches enology and agriculture at the university in Reims. His experience runs wide: stints in Australia, South Africa, Greece, and Burgundy, where he notably worked alongside Claire Naudin before returning home.

Everything is farmed organically and biodynamically, certification on the way, with no synthetic chemicals used in vineyard or cellar. No SO2 either, yet the fizz still shows real precision and clarity.

The house style is mineral and reductive, vinified entirely in wood, with real savouriness and umami from gentle lees work. Dense and extract-driven, with a phenolic backbone that keeps things fresh despite serious ripeness, think Burgundy or the Loire, just with bubbles. He favours smaller, finer bubbles for a soft mouthfeel, with a hallmark long, salty finish.

He's also a fan of mindful hyper-oxygenation at the press, working with a proper jewel: a 2000kg traditional Coquard press, running a soft, slow six-hour press to coax out ripe, architectural phenolics.

The production is tiny, so get in early.