Thibault Legrand is a new kid on the block with a unique vision and the chops to make it happen. Like his childhood friend and mentor Flavien Nowack, Thibault is refocusing the best parcels of his family domaine into organically farmed, terroir driven bottlings. Like Flavien, he began transitioning to organic farming in 2013 and has been certified since 2016. In fact, Flavien pressed Thibault’s first wines when he left the co-op in 2016. Thibault launched his first bottling, “Eocène,” that would take the domaine into a new direction in 2017. Thibulat’s father is an accomplished paleontologist who has dedicated much of his life to building by hand “La Cave aux Coquillages,” a miles long and 300 meter deep hand carved cave and museum on the family estate dedicated to the preservation and documentation of sea shells from the family property in Fleury-la-Rivière that date back 45 millions years ago during the Lutecian period, before the ice age when the Paris basin was under water. Deeply inspired and connected to his father’s lifework, Thibault’s bottlings each showcase a different geological strata from the Lutecian period and the unique characteristics of that particular geology. These champagnes are aged under cork rather than in capsule for 2 1/2-3 years in his father’s hand dug cave which maintains perfect natural humidity and temperature.