2020 Etienne Calsac ‘Clos des Maladries’ Grand Cru Avize, Champagne, France

The Clos des Maladries sits at the entrance to Avize, enclosed in a walled garden behind Etiennes grandparents’ home. Etiennes grandfather planted the vineyard in his backyard in the 1970s, and in 2010, Etienne requested the official ‘clos’ designation, as it is surrounded by walls. The vines are plowed by horse and bottled as a single vintage each year. This Grand Cru vineyard is considered prime terroir today, but the name Les Maladries comes from the Middle Ages, when the area was used to house unfortunate souls who had fallen sick with the plague.