Champagne Aubry: the old grape varieties of Champagne in Jouy-lès-Reims

Champagne Aubry: the old grape varieties of Champagne in Jouy-lès-Reims

Champagne Aubry is located in Jouy-lès-Reims, in the heart of the Petite Montagne de Reims. The family has been at home there in winegrowing since 1790. The house as it stands today was shaped by the brothers Pierre and Philippe Aubry, known above all for one thing: reviving old, nearly vanished Champagne grape varieties. The contact at the house is Maxime Aubry.

Vignoble & Terroirs

The estate covers a good twelve hectares, spread across around fifty parcels around Jouy-lès-Reims. The sites behind the sample bottle come from three villages classified as Premier Cru within the Petite Montagne de Reims:

• Jouy-lès-Reims, the seat of the house.
• Pargny-lès-Reims.
• Coulommes-la-Montagne.

Alongside the three common varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier, Aubry cultivates the four rare, nearly vanished Champenois varieties: Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris (historically also called Fromenteau or Enfumé in Champagne). Together these are the seven grape varieties historically permitted in Champagne. The first harvests of Arbane and Petit Meslier date back to the early 1990s, when the house completed its collection of old varieties.

Style

Aubry doesn't put the old varieties on display as a curiosity, but builds its own style from them. A symbol of this is the cuvée Le Nombre d'Or, described by the house as "champagne à sept voix," which brings together the historical grape varieties of Champagne. The house cites rigor, respect for tradition, originality, and creativity as its guiding principles. Further vinification details remain open where no reliable source is available.

My Tasting

A tasting of my own will follow. The sample bottle that has arrived is the Le Nombre d'Or (Campaniae Veteres Vites), Sablé Blanc des Blancs 2020, a Brut Nature cuvée made from white varieties: Chardonnay together with the old grape varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier, and Pinot Blanc. So here, "Blanc des Blancs" refers to the white varieties as a whole, not pure Chardonnay. Once the bottle has been in the glass, I'll add the tasting note and post here.

Facts

Sources for this portrait: information from the house (champagne-aubry.com), the back label of the sample bottle, and CRM data. Fields without sufficient verification remain open.