The Rumors are True: fatcork has Romain Henin!
(Above from left) Brothers Thomas and Romain Henin
Romain Henin is from a family of winegrowers in Aÿ, one of two Grand Cru villages in the Vallée de la Marne. Upon completing his post-secondary degree in winegrowing and winemaking in 2013, he returned to the Henin family estate, which was farmed using synthetic fertilizers and chemical treatments against pests. With his own ideas about the importance of organic and biodynamic farming in mind, Romain broke away from the family business in 2016 and leased a 1-hectare parcel to start his own label.
From the beginning, Romain leaned into agroforestry and organic and biodynamic farming. But after a formative summer spent harvesting with winemaker Patrick Bouju in Greece, Romain decided to completely halt the use of any and all additives. This new, low-intervention approach included making Champagne without the use of sulfites or dosage, practices he adopted with his first harvest in 2018 and continues to follow today.
(Above) Romain Henin sprays a biodynamic tincture made with nettles on his vines. Notice the tall native grasses fostering biodiversity between the rows, and how the wild, untamed appearance of the Henin vineyard contrasts with the closely cropped neighboring vineyards.
Over the years, Romain refined his approach, relying on native yeast fermentation and avoiding bâtonnage or filtration. For secondary fermentation, Romain uses the naturally occurring sugars from the following year’s must rather than a conventional liqueur de tirage. Romain’s parcels were certified organic in 2020, and later they received a Demeter certification for biodynamics.
In 2021, Romain acquired the entire 7-hectare Henin family estate and was joined by his brother, Thomas, a trained chemical engineer. Together, the brothers immediately began the laborious process of transitioning the family land to biodynamic farming. In addition to using natural methods for soil enrichment, they planted large swaths of grasses to encourage pest-eating insects between the vines and fruit trees to provide shade and attract bees. They have also trained their vines on high trellises, a system that, while technically and physically demanding, results in fresh, beautifully acidic fruit that lacks excess sugar.
(Above) Thomas Henin presides over the barrel room, which sits directly below his great-grandfather's vertical press. As the grapes from the harvest are pressed, Thomas tastes the juice every 10 seconds to determine when to move it into its barrel.
In the cellar, Romain and Thomas use his great-grandfather’s vertical press, which uses gravity to extract the juices. Each pressing — free run, cœur de presse and taille — is collected and barreled separately, with Thomas tasting the juice every 10 seconds as it’s being pressed to determine the exact time to move the juice into its barrel. Then, they thoroughly clean the wooden press with hot water and a pocket knife to remove the seeds from the crevices after every pressing. This separate barreling technique gives the brothers a broad palette for composition and blending while maintaining absolute purity of character. Each barrel is monitored with a laboratory-like precision, but there’s also heart and personality involved. Instead of a numbering system, Romain and Thomas give each barrel a name, which begins with the letter that corresponds to each vintage. For example, in the designated “M” year, the barrels are named things like “Mufasa” or “Murphy.”
The brothers’ small, cohesive collection of brut nature Champagnes has achieved cult status as those in the know clamor for its playful, inventive cuvées, purposeful and carefully designed to express each vintage with clarity and precision. It won’t be for everyone, but it’s unique and amazing and made by people who are infinitely passionate about their craft. And that’s just how we want it!
Recently, Romain and Thomas announced that they’ll be renaming their domaine “Champagne La Bulle Libre” to reflect the effort that both brothers and their team bring to the label. La Bulle Libre, or “the free bubble,” symbolizes creative independence, natural winemaking without additives or sulfites and a bold breakaway from strict, conventional traditions."
(Above from left) Henin's Korrigans Cidre "Frères de Pomme," made with apples from Normandy, and the stunningly balanced L'Odyssée Pétillante
Shop L'Odyssée Pétillante here.