Orban Francis
The imagination of Champagne most known and shared by the general public is that of the typical blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. This is not the case for Francis Orban: here the holy trinity of the region's grapes is inverted and the Pinot Meunier is the one being valued. The Orban family, active since 1929, has always been recognized in the area as an excellent reality of grape suppliers. First with grandfather Gaëtan, then with father Pol, the grapes, especially Pinot Meunier, were sold to the great Houses of the north, with which they had established historic bonds of trust, always guaranteeing a raw material of excellence and quality. With the entry in 1999 of Francis Orban, born in 1980, a graduate in Oenology and representative of the fourth family generation, things change and a new present as Recoltant Manipulant (RM) is inaugurated. Francis develops the desire to personally transform those grapes into wine, personally following the growth and maturation process, first in the vineyard and then in the cellar, and labeling the final product with his name.
The maison Francis Orban is located in the heart of the Vallée de la Marne, in Leuvrigny, 15 kilometers from Epernay, and today has 7.5 hectares of property in an area recognized and known throughout the Champagne region for its exceptional microclimatic and territorial characteristics. Here the soils are rich in clay and limestone, and the south-facing exposures allow the grapes to absorb as much sunlight as possible during the day. The Pinot Meunier reigns supreme in this area and represents the flagship variety for Orban, both in purity, as well as in rosé version and in blend with Chardonnay.
The range of labels offered by Francis Orban manages every year to satisfy the palates of the most passionate, but also of the most novices, offering a fine and elegant aromatic spectrum and a fresh, enveloping, and mineral sip, the result of an authentic savoir-faire and deeply territorial. In the cellar, the vinifications mostly take place in 300-liter barrels and in barriques, previously used in Burgundy, and after a long resting on the lees, the final products are ready to be disgorged and bottled. Still uncertain about the real value of Pinot Meunier?
The imagination of Champagne most known and shared by the general public is that of the typical blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. This is not the case for Francis Orban: here the holy trinity of the region's grapes is inverted and the Pinot Meunier is the one being valued. The Orban family, active since 1929, has always been recognized in the area as an excellent reality of grape suppliers. First with grandfather Gaëtan, then with father Pol, the grapes, especially Pinot Meunier, were sold to the great Houses of the north, with which they had established historic bonds of trust, always guaranteeing a raw material of excellence and quality. With the entry in 1999 of Francis Orban, born in 1980, a graduate in Oenology and representative of the fourth family generation, things change and a new present as Recoltant Manipulant (RM) is inaugurated. Francis develops the desire to personally transform those grapes into wine, personally following the growth and maturation process, first in the vineyard and then in the cellar, and labeling the final product with his name.
The maison Francis Orban is located in the heart of the Vallée de la Marne, in Leuvrigny, 15 kilometers from Epernay, and today has 7.5 hectares of property in an area recognized and known throughout the Champagne region for its exceptional microclimatic and territorial characteristics. Here the soils are rich in clay and limestone, and the south-facing exposures allow the grapes to absorb as much sunlight as possible during the day. The Pinot Meunier reigns supreme in this area and represents the flagship variety for Orban, both in purity, as well as in rosé version and in blend with Chardonnay.
The range of labels offered by Francis Orban manages every year to satisfy the palates of the most passionate, but also of the most novices, offering a fine and elegant aromatic spectrum and a fresh, enveloping, and mineral sip, the result of an authentic savoir-faire and deeply territorial. In the cellar, the vinifications mostly take place in 300-liter barrels and in barriques, previously used in Burgundy, and after a long resting on the lees, the final products are ready to be disgorged and bottled. Still uncertain about the real value of Pinot Meunier?
