Winemaker

Damien Cambres

Cellar Master, Champagne Pol Roger

Discipline: Winemaker
Based in: Épernay, France
Venue: Pol Roger · Winery

i. Biography

Maintaining house character through the assemblage requires an exacting palate and an intuitive grasp of vinous architecture. Damien Cambres serves as cellar master at Champagne Pol Roger in Épernay, where his winemaking directs rigorous focus toward continuity and precision across multi-vintage blends and vintage declarations.

Coming Up

Cambres built his enological foundation across two decades in Champagne winemaking. He spent 15 years working as an oenologue at Nicolas Feuillatte, honing the technical demands of large-scale assemblage, pressing, and fermentation monitoring. Following that tenure, he served for 5 years as director of the Goutte d’Or cooperative in Vertus, directly managing grower relationships and cellar operations in the Côte des Blancs. This background in cooperative scale and regional terroirs preceded his move into the historical houses of Épernay. During early 2018, as plans were set for long-serving chef de caves Dominique Petit to retire, Cambres worked alongside him during a planned transition period. Notably, on January 15, 2018, both cellar masters observed the excavation of historic bottles sealed away during the 1900 cellar collapse, retrieving nineteen historic vessels from the chalk cavity before completing the handover. Cambres later evaluated and disgorged bottles retrieved from the site, identifying tertiary profiles of spice and vanilla. His technical oversight took complete hold through subsequent seasons, with the 2019 harvest marking the first vintage cuvée crafted entirely under his direction, standing alongside the house's historic library releases such as the Vintage Brut 2008.

Where They Are Now

Cambres formally took over as cellar master at Pol Roger on April 2, 2018. Working alongside vineyard manager Evelyne de Billy and the board of directors, he leads vinification, disgorgement, and aging regimes in the deep, cold chalk cellars along the Avenue de Champagne. His role centers on ensuring that each cuvée upholds the precision and house consistency established across generations.

Career - Oenologue — Nicolas Feuillatte (dates unreleased) - Director — Goutte d’Or cooperative, Vertus (dates unreleased) - Cellar Master — Pol Roger, Épernay (2018–present)

FAQ What is Damien Cambres's current role? Damien Cambres is the cellar master (chef de caves) at Champagne Pol Roger in Épernay, a position he has held since April 2018.