Tasting
Between Cellar and Sky: Cédric Jacopin of De Saint-Gall
A profile of Cédric Jacopin, cellar master at De Saint-Gall in the Côte des Blancs, whose passion for piloting vintage aircraft shapes his approach to crafting Chardonnay-based champagnes.
What happened
Cédric Jacopin, chef de caves at De Saint-Gall in the Côte des Blancs, has been profiled for the dual passions that define his life: the meticulous craft of producing Chardonnay-based champagnes and the exhilarating pursuit of piloting vintage aircraft. The two worlds, at first glance entirely separate, reveal themselves to be deeply intertwined in the way Jacopin approaches his work beneath the chalk hills of one of Champagne's most celebrated terroirs.
Based in the Côte des Blancs — the heartland of Chardonnay in the Champagne region — De Saint-Gall is a house whose identity is inseparable from that singular grape variety. As its cellar master, Jacopin bears responsibility for translating the character of this limestone-rich landscape into the wines that carry the house's name.
Why it matters
Profiles of this kind matter because they illuminate the human intelligence behind a champagne's character. Winemaking philosophy is rarely formed in isolation; it draws on the full breadth of a practitioner's sensibility. For Jacopin, the discipline and precision demanded by vintage aviation — the reading of conditions, the respect for mechanical heritage, the acceptance of forces beyond one's control — finds a clear parallel in the cellar. His aerial pursuits are not a distraction from his craft but, by his own account, an influence upon it.
In a region where Chardonnay reigns and the pursuit of elegance is paramount, understanding what drives a cellar master's instincts offers a richer appreciation of the wines themselves.
Context
The Côte des Blancs stretches south of Épernay and is regarded as the premier source of Chardonnay in Champagne. The grape's natural affinity for the region's chalky soils produces wines noted for their finesse and longevity. De Saint-Gall is among the houses that have made this variety central to their identity, with Jacopin serving as the custodian of that tradition. His concurrent life as a pilot of vintage aircraft adds an uncommon dimension to the story of a cellar master whose work is rooted in one of France's most storied wine landscapes.