Beneath the quiet village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, in the Marne valley east of Épernay, lie cellars cut into the chalk, and they are where the story of champagne is really told. The wine is made in two stages. The first ferments in vats in the autumn, and the second takes place in the bottle, down in the cool and dark, for months or years, and the chalk is the perfect place for it, holding a steady ten degrees all year and breathing out a faint damp, mineral smell. The tunnels, hewn by hand centuries ago, branch and bend beneath the vineyards, lined with bottles stacked neck to base.
The vineyards above are among the best in Champagne for Pinot Noir. The village faces a south-facing slope, and the walled vineyard known as the Clos des Goisses, set on a precipitous hillside above the Marne canal, is one of the steepest and most celebrated plots in the region, with a pronounced chalky soil that gives its wines an intensity of flavour. Aÿ, only a short way along the road, was prized by kings and was said to have been a favourite of Henry IV of France. The Marne flows nearby, with a canal alongside it, and the landscape is a patchwork of vines, poplars and small villages.
The area is well suited to riding. The roads that run between villages along the foot of the slope are gentle, with easy bends and smooth surface, and the higher roads over the Montagne de Reims offer longer views. Harvest in September brings tractors and pickers, and the roads are sticky with grape juice, so go carefully. Épernay, a town of twenty-seven thousand people, about six kilometres away, has fuel and supermarkets, while the small villages have little more than a bakery.
Tours of the cellars generally need to be booked in advance, and some producers close in the middle of the day or at weekends, so check before you go. Bring a jacket, because even on a hot day the cellar is cool. After the visit, sit outside with a glass, and notice how the sunlight on the vines makes the chalk glow white.