Aurélien Lefort

History of Domaine Aurélien Lefort

Aurélien Lefort's path to the vine is that of an artist who followed a passion stronger than anything else. A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts, he could have become an engraver or a visual artist. But an encounter with wine — and more precisely with natural wines — drew him away from that path. He began his viticultural apprenticeship with Michel Auger at the Domaine des Maisons-Brûlées, in Loir-et-Cher, for two years, before joining Patrick Bouju in Auvergne, a pioneering figure of Auvergne's natural wine scene. That stay proved decisive: Auvergne, its volcanic terroirs, its authentic grape varieties, and its renaissance vineyard claimed him entirely. In 2011, he settled with his family in Madriat, near Boudes, in the south of the Puy-de-Dôme.

He takes on lease abandoned or chemically damaged vines and patiently converts them to organic farming, sometimes waiting two years before they can once again produce healthy fruit. The Boudes region is one of the five historic crus of the Côtes d'Auvergne, an ancient wine-growing land cultivated for nearly two millennia, at the foot of the foothills of the Chaîne des Puys. In his labels as in his vines, Aurélien applies his artistic sensibility: each cuvée is a graphic and sensory work, bearing a name that intrigues as much as the wine surprises.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Aurélien Lefort

Aurélien Lefort's plots are scattered around Madriat and Boudes, in a mosaic of geological terroirs of exceptional diversity, characteristic of this southern volcanic zone of the Puy-de-Dôme. Here one finds basalt, granite, calcareous red clay, sandy and gravelly clay on quartz flows, and at the foot of the hillsides, marly white clays. This pedological diversity is directly reflected in the range of cuvées: each terroir gives a distinct expression to the same grape varieties. The Boudes region benefits from a warm and vibrant microclimate, with strong luminosity and significant temperature swings, which encourage slow ripening and a natural concentration of aromas.

The encépagement rests on the classic Auvergne trilogy: Gamay d'Auvergne (dominant, trained en cordon to limit yields), Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. Aurélien deeply regrets the gradual disappearance of Gamay d'Auvergne, a dense, powerful, and spicy grape variety on these volcanic soils, threatened by the lack of nurserymen capable of propagating it in Auvergne. All the vines are cultivated using organic farming, worked with a pickaxe to allow the roots to breathe freely. Harvesting is done by hand and the berries are rigorously sorted in the vineyard.

Winemaking at Domaine Aurélien Lefort

Aurélien Lefort's winemaking is radical in its minimalism: no inputs, no added sulfur at any stage. Fermentations are conducted solely with indigenous yeasts. Macerations are long, often with whole clusters, with gentle gravity extraction. For certain cuvées such as Sérum, maceration can last five months on old-vine Gamay d'Auvergne, yielding wines of exceptional concentration and complexity. For the 1=1 cuvée, two months of whole-cluster maceration is followed by barrel aging, producing a lightly sparkling red wine through residual natural refermentation.

The aging is carried out in used barrels, demi-muids, or vats depending on the cuvée. No fining or filtration. Production volumes are extremely low, often fewer than 500 bottles per cuvée per vintage, which explains the extreme rarity of these wines on the market. Each cuvée is conceived as a unique piece — a singular memory of a terroir, a vintage, and a moment in winemaking. Aurélien's artistic spirit is felt in every detail, from the engraved label to the olfactory and gustatory conception of the wine.

The cuvées of Domaine Aurélien Lefort

Sérum (Vin de France): The domaine's most celebrated and best-known cuvée, made from old-vine Gamay d'Auvergne planted in 1904 on volcanic terroir. Whole-cluster maceration for five months, aged in used barrels, with no added sulfur. The wine is of rare intensity and depth: aromas of candied black fruits, oriental spices, blood, and volcanic earth, a concentrated and fleshy palate, tannins present yet silky, with an interminable and smoky finish. An age-worthy Gamay d'Auvergne, produced in infinitesimal quantities, in a style inspired by the greatest maceration wines in the world.

Nullepart Cedex (Vin de France): Red cuvée made from Gamay d'Auvergne, vinified in a more approachable style than the Sérum, with a shorter maceration. The name, typical of Aurélien's humor and offbeat poetry, evokes the improbable address of a winemaker off the beaten track. A deep and spicy red wine, with aromas of black cherry, pepper, and volcanic minerality, a round and fresh palate with remarkable drinkability despite its concentration.

Occitdureste (Vin de France): A blended red cuvée made from Gamay d'Auvergne and other grape varieties from the domaine depending on the vintage. A name with invented spelling, playing with words and codes just as Aurélien's engraved labels play with the eye. A generous and structured red wine, with aromas of ripe fruits and spices, a full-bodied palate and a long and complex finish.

1=1 (Vin de France): A lightly sparkling red cuvée made from Gamay d'Auvergne on white clay and basaltic rock terroir, vines planted in 1981. Two-month whole-cluster maceration, bottled with fermentation residues giving a light natural effervescence. Fruity and spicy nose, a lively and lightly perlant palate with a juicy and fresh texture. An original and festive cuvée, in the spirit of natural pétillant wines with no dosage.

Les Épines (Vin de France): Red cuvée made from Pinot Noir, a less typical grape variety for the domaine but worked with the same care and the same absence of inputs. A finer and more elegant wine than the Gamay cuvées, with aromas of cherry, violet, and a spiced vegetal note, a light and silky palate with a fresh and mineral finish. A characterful Pinot Noir, singular and endearing.

Assemblage Pinots Noirs, Chardonnays et Gamays (Vin de France): Red cuvée made from a blend of the domaine's three grape varieties — Pinot Noir (majority), Chardonnay, and Gamay — vinified with no added sulfur. A wine of fruit and freshness, expressing the complementarity of the three Auvergne grape varieties, with a round and harmonious palate, aromas of mixed red and white fruits, and a light and digestible finish.

Brain Noize (Vin de France): Red cuvée made from Grenache, a Mediterranean grape variety planted on an experimental plot of the domaine. An evocative name for the interference and noise of the world that wine helps one forget. A fleshy and sun-drenched red wine, with aromas of ripe red fruits, spices, and garrigue, a round and generous palate with a velvety texture and a long finish. A foray beyond the classic Auvergne grape varieties, in the spirit of Aurélien's curious and exploratory nature.

Pqscsqssvt (Vin de France): White or orange cuvée made from Auxerrois, an uncommon white grape variety in Auvergne, with an intentionally unpronounceable and absurd name that extends the poetic and graphic play of the domaine's labels. A characterful white or orange wine expressing volcanic minerality and an original texture from this rare grape variety in the Auvergne region. A confidential cuvée, produced in very small quantities.