A TASTE FOR POSSIBILITY

It might seem unlikely that a Frenchman would look to Australian food for inspiration on sparkling wine. But for CHANDON Australia’s Loïc Le Calvez, that’s precisely the point.

“Australians are masters in fusing tradition with innovation,” says Loïc. “You see world-class technique and precision, but also a willingness to play with flavours, cultures and ideas. I love Australian food, and I love that it comes from a place of open-mindedness.”

For someone raised in Brittany, where food followed closely held traditions, the Australian willingness to borrow, blend, and break convention felt radically different.

“I’m constantly discovering bold flavours that you wouldn’t expect to work together, yet somehow, they do — in a way that feels balanced, deliberate and, frankly, bloody delicious.

“What makes that possible is a foundation of technical excellence, a real respect for produce and place, and a mindset which imagines ‘what can this be?’ rather than accepting what is.”

And then, there’s Australia’s unapologetic embrace of flavour.

“I grew up in a culture where great food was defined by restraint. Here, bold flavours, generosity, and ultimately deliciousness is what’s celebrated.”

Much like the Australian chefs he admires, Loïc has exceptional produce to work with across CHANDON’s vineyards. Across three distinctive Victorian wine regions, our vineyards each bring a unique expression to the blends. The Yarra Valley’s comparatively warmer conditions deliver generosity and richness of fruit. At around 650 metres elevation, the Strathbogie Ranges’ granitic clay loam soils bring freshness, elegance and natural acidity. And at over 800 metres, Whitlands’ volcanic soils and high-altitude conditions deliver fruit with exceptional purity, intensity and natural acidity.

Loic building says that the role of méthode traditionnelle is then to amplify these qualities by building complexity, structure and length around them – rather than overshadowing the fruit with secondary flavours.

“This fruit is too spectacular to hide. Even in our wines with 6-7 years of lees ageing, the fruit continues to shine with a bright and zesty brilliance while subtle ageing shows in the complexity and length behind it. 

“It honestly continues to surprise me. I taste aged wines here all the time and think, ‘you might have no right to still taste so fresh and vibrant!’.”

And despite the French accent (and an enduring affinity for cheese and croissants) after decades in Australia, Loïc describes himself as an “Aussie at heart.”

A die-hard Brisbane Lions fan who has embraced Test cricket, Loïc says the openness and enjoyment he admires in Australian food culture reflects much of what he loves about life here.

“I’m also quite easy-going … that’s very Aussie.”

Easy-going might be an understatement. For everyone Loic meets, the lingering impression is one of pure joy. If you ask him how he’s going, you’ll get his signature response: I’m well! I’m always well!

“Well, why wouldn’t I be? I’m so lucky — life is awesome and I love to celebrate that.”

That instinct to find joy in the everyday feels at home at CHANDON, where sparkling wine has always been about more than what’s in the bottle. At the Yarra Valley Estate, the tastings, experiences, menus and celebrations big and small all come back to a simple philosophy: everyone is welcome at our table.

For Loïc, it’s a philosophy that resonates.

“I love connecting with others and celebrating even the smallest things, because those moments are what create connection and joy. That’s why I’ve always loved sparkling wine — it has this incredible ability to bring people together.”

It’s this combination of technical skill and an instinct for joy that CHANDON Australia Estate Director Susan Caudry says makes Loïc such a natural fit for CHANDON.

“CHANDON was born from mavericks who saw a world of possibility for sparkling wine beyond the places and traditions that had historically defined it. They mastered the craft but weren’t constrained by convention.”

“That spirit is very much alive in Loïc. He has extraordinary technical mastery, but he’s always thinking about what else is possible — how we can make wines that are more expressive, more delicious and unmistakably Australian.”

“Forty years into our story in Australia, it’s exactly that mindset that will see us thrive into the future.”

LOÏC LE CALVEZ — CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Studied Winemaking and Law and Economics of the Wine Industry in France.

• Completed vintages across France, California and Australia, including the 1998 vintage at Château d’Yquem — his first experience with Moët Hennessy.

• Developed his passion for sparkling wine after moving to Australia.

• Led winemaking at Taltarni by age 30 and became Chief Operations Officer at 32, prompting wine writer Huon Hooke to describe him as “a man in a hurry.”

• Consulted on some of Australia’s most respected sparkling wines and became a prominent Australian wine show judge.

• Served as Chair of the Australian Sparkling Wine Show.

• Joined CHANDON Australia as Senior Winemaker in 2023 and today leads the Australian winemaking team.