Champagne Éphémère was conceived in 2014 by Frédéric Savart and four longtime friends, united by a shared passion for wine and culture. Observing that many high-quality vineyard sites in Champagne were underappreciated, they created a collaborative micro-négociant project designed to highlight these parcels through small, focused productions.

The project is conceived as a true laboratory of Champagne terroirs. Rather than functioning as a traditional estate with its own vineyards, Éphémère operates as a flexible micro-production structure, sourcing fruit or finished wines from carefully selected growers and prestigious parcels. Each cuvée is produced as a singular release, identified by a number and never repeated. Once a wine is sold out, it disappears permanently, making way for a new interpretation of terroir.

The team brings together complementary expertise: Frédéric Savart as the instigator and stylistic guide, alongside partners with deep access to vineyard sources and extensive experience in tasting, distribution, and marketing across Champagne and France.

Éphémère draws from a mosaic of terroirs across some of Champagne’s most prestigious villages, with a strong focus on Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites. The Côte des Blancs plays a central role, particularly in Avize, Cramant, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, where deep chalk soils provide ideal conditions for Chardonnay, producing wines of precision, minerality, and tension. The project also sources Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, notably in Ambonnay and Bouzy, where chalk-based soils bring structure and depth. Additional parcels in the Coteaux Sud d’Épernay add further complexity, with varied exposures and microclimates enriching the overall expression of each cuvée.

As Éphémère does not own vineyards, farming is carried out by its partner growers, with a strong emphasis on careful parcel selection, moderate yields, and manual vineyard work. Sustainable or organic practices are encouraged whenever possible. The vines, often between 30 and 70 years old, include many old parcels that bring added concentration and complexity to the wines.

Vinification at Éphémère is intentionally flexible, adapting to each site and cuvée rather than following a fixed style. While the project initially worked with wines vinified by partner growers, it began expanding into its own vinifications in 2023. Practices vary, but typically include fermentation in stainless steel and/or neutral oak, occasional use of new oak, partial or full malolactic fermentation, and extended aging on lees to build texture. Dosage remains low—usually in the Extra Brut or Brut Nature range—to preserve the tension and mineral expression of each terroir.