Romain Hénin is a rising star among the new generation of Champagne growers to watch, known for his natural, low-intervention approach to winemaking. Born in Aÿ into a fourth-generation family of winegrowers, he earned his BTS in viticulture and oenology from the Lycée Viticole d’Avize in 2011. After graduating, he gained experience working for two years (2011–2013) at the renowned Henri Giraud estate, where he served as vat room manager and deepened his interest in organic and biodynamic principles. He joined the family estate, Champagne Pascal Hénin, in 2013 but left in 2015 due to disagreements with his parents over adopting cleaner, more respectful viticulture practices. In 2016, he launched his own project, leasing his first 1.2 hectares of vines under the mentorship of biodynamic pioneer Sébastien Mouzon. He began a conversion to organic farming that became official in 2017. Early challenges like mildew in 2016 and frost in 2017 tested his resolve, but a pivotal 2018 harvest experience in Greece (collaborating on the “Sous le Végétal” project on Samos island with Jason Ligas, Patrick Bouju, and Justine Loiseau) shifted his philosophy toward fully natural vinification—no added inputs or sulfites.

In October 2021, at age 33, Hénin took over the full family estate from his father, Pascal Hénin, transforming its practices entirely and renaming it La Bulle Libre to symbolize the freedom to create authentic Champagnes in harmony with nature. Today, the domaine spans 7.5 hectares of prime parcels in Aÿ, Mareuil-le-Port, and surrounding villages (including Grands Crus like Aÿ and Chouilly, Premiers Crus like Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Dizy, and sites in the Marne Valley at Cerseuil and Troissy), with four people working the vines. His own vines were certified organic and Demeter biodynamic by 2021 (conversion started in 2017), with the family portions entering conversion that same year. With a strong emphasis on agroforestry (planting over 100 fruit trees per hectare among the vines to enrich the ecosystem and biodiversity), phytotherapy (making his own infusions from horsetail, yarrow, nettles, and dandelion flowers), and soil revival—treating vines with copper and sulfur while favoring natural weeding and banning chemicals, guided by the lunar calendar—his holistic, terroir-driven philosophy shines. Inspired by figures like Patrick Bouju, he focuses on producing flawless natural wines that comply with Champagne specifications, prioritizing depth, energy, and drinkability over overt “natural” markers. All grapes are hand-harvested, pressed on-site, fermented with native yeasts by gravity, aged one year on lees in barrels, and vinified without sulfites, filtration, or clarification (a practice started in 2018 and extended fully from the 2022 vintage onward). This yields vibrant, expressive Champagnes that highlight purity and site-specific character, often in microscopic quantities that have earned him cult status among natural wine enthusiasts.

A fervent advocate for non-dosed Champagnes, Hénin’s mantra is that dosage (like sugar in coffee) is unnecessary if balance is achieved through proper ripeness and cellar work – he harvests at 11°–13° potential alcohol today, compared to his parents’ era of around 9°, noting climate changes bring riper grapes but challenges like higher pH and lower acidity. He creates wines without artifice, reflecting each vintage and terroir: “I make my Champagnes as I would have liked to buy or drink them,” producing only vintage expressions as fermented grape juice while respecting appellation rules. His production includes Champagnes, still Coteaux Champenois wines (like MPQR), and experimental micro-cuvées such as La Trève, Les Jodins, and the rainy 2021 “Entre les Gouttes” (yielding just 2,000–2,200 bottles vs. a usual 6,000, from a trying low-yield harvest). Looking ahead, he has a cider project in the works called Korrigans.

As newly released 2022 vintages, these two flagship cuvées represent the pinnacle of Hénin’s evolution: microscopic yields from biodynamically farmed old vines, capturing the chalky intensity of Aÿ in their most liberated form yet. They’re the bottles that have insiders buzzing – prized for their electric purity, seamless integration of oak and lees, and that rare ability to feel both profoundly site-specific and endlessly drinkable. Collectors and somms fancy them not just for the scarcity (they vanish from allocations in hours), but for how they redefine “natural” Champagne: no funky distractions, just laser-focused energy, chalk-mineral drive, and a finish that lingers like a memory of the vineyard itself.

Romain Henin La Bulle Libre “Meunier tu dors” 2022
100% Pinot Meunier – Zero dosage – No added sulfur

This playful nod to the old French nursery rhyme (“Miller, are you sleeping?”) is a one-off, never-to-be-repeated cuvée that marks the estate’s very first completely sulfite-free Champagne under the new La Bulle Libre banner. Sourced exclusively from a tiny parcel of 50+ year-old Meunier vines in the heart of Aÿ’s chalky slopes, it’s gently pressed by gravity, fermented with native yeasts in used oak barrels, and aged on full lees fo r a year before bottling for secondary fermentation—disgorged raw, with zero additions. The result is a vivid, golden-hued sparkler (12% ABV) bursting with ripe yellow plum, fresh brioche, quince paste, and a smoky chalk undercurrent, all wrapped in an ultra-fine, persistent mousse that dances on the palate. Fleshy yet electric, it finishes with zesty Meyer lemon and wet-stone minerality, showcasing Meunier’s often-overlooked finesse in Hénin’s hands.

Around 10,000 bottles produced – a limited debut that’s already a white whale for natural wine hunters, fetching premiums on secondary markets and earning whispers of “instant classic” from those lucky enough to snag one. What makes it irresistible? It’s the ultimate proof of Hénin’s mastery: a grape variety typically blended for body here shines solo, delivering tension and joy that feels like a secret shared from the soil.

Romain Hénin Le Gamin du Terroir 2022
40% Pinot Noir – 40% Pinot Meunier – 20% Chardonnay – Zero dosage – No added sulfur

The breakout cuvée that first put Hénin on the map as a terroir whisperer, now elevated in this 2022 vintage to its most unadorned, biodynamic expression. A harmonious multi-parcel blend from the chalkiest, steepest slopes of Aÿ and nearby Premier Cru sites, drawing on old vines for depth: the Pinots bring structure and red-fruited wildness, while Chardonnay adds lift and precision. Hand-harvested and whole-cluster pressed, it’s barrel-fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged on lees without stirring, then bottled for méthode traditionnelle sparkle – disgorged bone-dry, unfiltered, and untouched. Pale gold in the glass (12% ABV), it explodes with vivid citrus zest, white flowers, green apple skin, and stone-fruit purity, evolving into creamy brioche and saline seashell notes on a palate of electric energy, fine-integrated bubbles, and an endless, chalky finish.

Only 3,000 bottles produced – a razor-thin allocation that underscores its cult allure, with bottles allocated to mailing lists and disappearing faster than the last pour at a tasting. Sommeliers and collectors obsess over it for its addictive balance: the ’22’s riper fruit from climate-shifted harvests meets Hénin’s low-intervention rigor, yielding a Champagne that’s as intellectual as it is hedonistic – layered enough for solo sipping, versatile for sushi or grilled langoustine, and aging potential that promises even more complexity down the line.