Champagne’s Most Distinctive Group, Trait-d-Union

Trait-d-Union is arguably the most sought-after ticket every other year during Le Printemps des Champagne’s week-long revelry of the finest grower fizz. But what really is it and how did it become so exclusive? Yuri Shima connects with the group’s distinguished members and discovers what makes their connection so strong.

“It is all about friendship. We share the same philosophy and ideas,” says Sophie Larmandier from Larmandier-Bernier.

'Trait-d-Union' is a group of four prominent champagne producers featuring Larmandier-Bernier, Jacques Selosse, Roger Coulon and Egly-Ouriet. They are all family-owned grower-producers who make exceptional wines from their own vineyards.

Every one of their champagnes shine with a unique style, reflecting each domaine's terroir and philosophy. There is a recent movement and trend to produce champagne expressing its sense of place, which champagne professionals and enthusiasts have supported and welcomed. The Trait-d-Union producers are pioneers of this movement.

The group’s name, Trait-d-Union, has the meaning of 'hyphen' in French, which acts as a connector. So what has connected these producers under the name of Trait-d-Union?

The idea to form the group arose around 2010-2011. Anselm Selosse of Champagne Jacques Selosse emphasises, “The relationship that we have created among us led to the creation of this group.”

Sophie goes on to explain that the link between the members is authenticity. "We make something authentic, linked to the terroir and people. Each member produces wine with different expressions in a different way, but the idea is the same.”

Isabelle of Roger Coulon agrees saying that in the group, they are all linked by a powerful shared desire for wine and a duty for excellence. "We are all artisans, looking to bring out the best in our terroirs," she says.

Clemence Egly from Egly-Ouriet adds, “We seek to make signature wines with an imprint of the terroir but also of our estate so that they are easily identifiable. This is what also makes our group interesting; that is the difference between our terroirs and our wines.”

The first official tasting event as a group was held at Jacques Selosse in April 2012. At its inception, the group was formed with six producers, including La Closerie and Jacquesson, both subsequently left the group for various reasons. Tastings with members of Trait-d-Union are held every other year in Champagne, and in between, the group travels abroad to showcase their wines and explore local crafts and traditions.

Each event and tour has a theme, that is, a link of some kind. Clemence explains, “We always try to create a link, which is the meaning of ‘Trait-d-Union’, in our trips with the artisans in order to discover more knowledge and to be inspired.”

In 2013, the group visited Andalusia in Spain, where a fortified wine (sherry) is produced. The link for this trip was chalk. Grapes for sherry are grown in chalky soils like those in Champagne.

They also came to Australia in 2015 with the theme 'dots and bubbles' – the link to the arts and history of Aborigines.

Anselme recalls, “My most beautiful memories of our link with Australia was the emotion I felt when our Aboriginal speaker described his culture, his traditions, his attachment to his origins and his geography.”

When they travelled over to Japan in 2019, they also connected through craftsmanship when meeting with producers of sake and miso, etc., with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of fermentation. “The visit to Japan also confirmed to me that fermentation is a metamorphosis, that is, the transformation of simple materials into another complex and subtle product,” says Anselme.

In 2022 the bi-annual tasting was held at Roger Coulon in Vrigny. After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, Champagne professionals from around the globe were extremely happy for the opportunity to meet with the producers of this special group and taste their wines. The theme of the tasting was 'L’amour du Vin'.

According to the hosts, Eric and Isabelle the group wanted to give a more spiritual dimension to the meeting. "To be a grower is also to provide happiness to others through a festive moment. The wine is a symbol of warmth. After two years of Covid, we naturally built the 2022 tasting on ‘The Love for Wine’.”

Then in 2024 the tasting was held at Domaine Jacques Selosse under the theme of interpreting stimuli with Professor Gabriel Lepousez, a Neurobiologist, which brought awareness to the topic of umami characters; what it really is and how it is distinct to saltiness. 

Events and travelling are not the only activities for the group. They occasionally meet, exchange information and share ideas. Every decision on behalf of the group is made unanimously. Each of them is a top producer offering the finest possible champagne to the world. At the same time, they all agree they are genuinely connected through friendship. The bond and creation born among these friends also motivate and inspire champagne enthusiasts like us.

We asked members of Trait-d-Union what champagne most represented the group's concept?

Larmandier-Bernier

Larmandier-Bernier mainly grows chardonnays from their vineyards located in prime villages of the Côte des Blancs. Pierre and Sophie Larmandier have transformed their vineyards into an organic and biodynamic farming operation since the late 1990s.

When asked to pick a wine that most represents the concept of Trait-d-Union, they chose the cuvée 'Terre de Vertus'. This wine is 100% chardonnay from a plot called 'Les Barillers', situated on a chalky mid-slope in Vertus, where the winery is located. It is specifically linked to the place and expresses its taste. Sophie explains, “This terroir is very particular - delicate, saline and at the same time, very complex. We employ the same viticulture and winemaking, but with the link to the place, we believe the wine always tastes with more salinity and spice (than wines from our plots in Cramant or Avize).”

Roger Coulon

As the eighth-generation grower in the village of Vrigny, Eric and Isabelle Coulon make champagnes that correspond to a history and a terroir. Vrigny is renowned for its meunier grapes. They have a long history of being a winegrower since 1806, now owning 10ha of vineyards which are organically farmed. Not surprisingly, when asked to highlight was cuvées best represent their commitment to Trait-d-Union, they selected wines made from meunier – the Blanc de Noirs Millésimé 2013 Franc de Pieds and Esprit de Vrigny. “Both cuvées, made without any dosage as Brut Nature, translate the perfect quality of Vrigny’s grapes,” says Isabelle.

Jacques Selosse

Anselm Selosse, undoubtedly one of the most influential and pioneering vignerons in Champagne, produces wines according to his own philosophy and style. All of his wines are intended to express the place. Among the range, he picked the 'Initial' cuvée because of the permanent character attached to its birthplace. He also selected 'Millésime' because, similarly, it expresses the permanence of the year of its birth. These cuvées represent two axes of expression of his thoughts, highlighting where and when the wine was born. 

Egly-Ouriet

Based in Ambonnay and famous for their pinot noir, Egly-Ouriet is a reputable grower that has been making wine since 1982. They have always cultivated their vines in the most respectful and organic way, using only organic fertilisers and products and mechanically working the soil for more than 20 years. This deliberate working method requires a lot of time in the vineyards and observation in order to supply what the vines need at the right time, and not a day goes by without them going to the vineyards. 

Clemence picked a 'Blanc de Noirs' to represent the Trait-d-Union concept - a flagship of the domaine. It is made from 100% pinot noir from a single plot 'Les Crayerers' in Ambonnay that her great-grandfather planted in 1947 and 1949. 

Words by Yuri Shima
Photography supplied by Trait-d-Un