Aurélien Lurquin

History of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

The story of the Aurélien Lurquin estate is that of a man who chose to return to his roots after a world tour of winemaking. Aurélien first trained in Burgundy under Luc Pavelot in Pernand-Vergelesses between 2002 and 2005, before venturing to Maule, in Chile, where he discovered the daily work on horseback through the vineyards. These formative experiences — Burgundian rigor and Chilean freedom — would forge a vision of wine as singular as it is coherent.

His winemaking training also comes from his grandfather, a winemaker for several decades at Maison Lanson, and from a doctorate in oenology. Returning to Champagne, Aurélien settled in Romery and, from 2007, began the organic and biodynamic conversion of his plots. That same year, he acquired his magnificent traditional Coquart press, capable of pressing 2,000 kg of grapes, a press restored by his father, a cabinet-maker.

The first harvests were devoted exclusively to the production of still wines from the Coteaux Champenois. In 2012, organic and biodynamic certification was obtained, and the deliberately limited yields initially led to selling a portion of the grapes to Leclerc-Briant, one of the most committed houses in biodynamics. It was not until 2013 that Aurélien produced his first natural champagnes. Since then, over the years, he has progressively reduced the quantity of grapes sold to négociants in order to devote the bulk of his production to his own cuvées, particularly from 2017 onwards.

Today, Aurélien is a member of the association "Des pieds et des vins," whose mission is to bring terroir-driven champagnes into the spotlight. An artistic and ethical positioning that in itself sums up the identity of the estate.

Terroirs and Vines of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

Aurélien Lurquin's terroir is above all the village of Romery, nestled in the heart of the Marne valley. The estate spans 2.3 hectares divided across 15 plots, the oldest of which, named "Les Crayères," was planted by his grandfather in 1947. These vines carry within them the memory of a family, a land, a vocation passed down through generations.

The soils are dominated by a thick layer of chalk, topped with clay and sandstone. These chalky substrates, similar to those found in Chablis, lend the wines a vibrant salinity and a deep minerality that constitute the signature of the estate. The limestone subsoil efficiently drains water while preserving the freshness essential to the Champenois harvest.

The vineyard is planted predominantly with pinot noir (40%), chardonnay (35%), pinot meunier (24%), and one rare variety: petit meslier (1%). This last grape variety, almost entirely absent from the Champenois landscape, bears witness to Aurélien's commitment to preserving a rare and precious ampelographic biodiversity.

From the very beginning, Aurélien has worked his soils with horses and raised the height of vine trellising in order to encourage natural growth without apex pruning. This plant-respectful approach aims to restore full vitality to the vines. He grows grass between the rows to enrich soil diversity. Certified organic and biodynamic, the vines receive neither herbicides nor chemical or systemic fertilizers. Biodynamic preparations are used with care to minimize as much as possible the use of copper and sulfur.

The varied exposure of the plots — some facing due south, such as those of Les Forcières — further enriches the aromatic palette of the wines, with each lieu-dit bringing its own variation on the terroir of Romery.

Vinifications of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

Aurélien Lurquin's winemaking philosophy can be summed up in a few words: listening, precision, and non-intervention. 

Everything begins in the vineyard, where grape selection is rigorous. Aurélien briefs his pickers to carry out strict sorting and to retain only the healthiest berries. Before transporting them to the press, he personally performs a double quality check. Harvesting takes place at night or early in the morning to preserve the freshness of the berries.

After pressing in the Coquart press, the juice flows by gravity into the traditional old cellar. The cuvées and the tailles are generally kept separate, but may also be blended according to a ratio of three-quarters cuvée to one-quarter taille. Aurélien aims for absolute freshness in his wines, which leads him to be particularly attentive to the overall level of tension.

Alcoholic fermentation is entirely spontaneous, driven solely by indigenous yeasts. Aging is long, in oak barrels, without filtration or dosage. Aurélien carries out experiments by adding must from the following harvest to the base wine, thereby extending the aging on the lees of the base wines to more than a full year. For his Coteaux Champenois, the wine rests in barrels for up to three years.

Only small quantities of liquid sulfur are used at the vatting stage, and only in a minimal way. No other inputs are tolerated: no added sugar, no fining, no chaptalization. Each bottle is the raw and sincere reflection of its vintage and its plot.

The Cuvées of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

Champagne Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay Les Traverses

This champagne Blanc de Blancs is made from 100% chardonnay from Aurélien Lurquin's small domaine de 2.5 hectares. The parcel-by-parcel vinification takes place in cement tanks and barrels, with indigenous yeasts driving the alcoholic fermentation. This champagne is aged for 12 months in barrel on the full lees. It carries no dosage, making it a Brut Nature champagne. Production is minimal. On the nose, this Blanc de Blancs expresses itself with striking purity: fine citrus, white flowers, damp chalk, and a light touch of honey. The palate delivers electrifying tension, carried by a fine and persistent bubble that draws out the mineral finish at great length.

Champagne Blanc de Noirs, 100% Pinot Meunier Les Crayères du Levant

Named "Les Crayères du Levant," this cuvée is produced exclusively from the harvest of the eponymous plot, located in Romery in the Marne valley. Vinification takes place in inert containers, in cement tanks and barrels. Indigenous yeasts drive the alcoholic fermentation. The champagne is then aged for 12 months in barrel on its lees, in order to gain complexity. Production is minimal. On tasting, this champagne reveals complex aromas of flowers, blueberry, apple, flint, and honey. On the palate, the texture is concentrated, with notes of lemon, golden apple, and liquorice. The effervescence is of rare finesse, and the bubble seems carried by the energy of Romery's chalky subsoil. A characterful meunier — taut and generous in equal measure — that reconciles depth and lightness.

Champagne Blanc de Noirs, 100% Pinot Noir Les Forcières

This cuvée comes from the lieu-dit Les Forcières, whose south-facing vines are rooted in a terroir of clay and flint, farmed organically. The berries are harvested early in the morning to preserve their freshness, then pressed very slowly in the traditional Coquard press. The juices then ferment in old barrels with indigenous yeasts, without any inputs. Aging continues for eleven months on the lees, before bottling for the second fermentation. With no dosage, this champagne Brut Nature expresses Champenois pinot noir in all its truth.

Champagne Rosé, Saignée de Meunier

Drawn from a saignée of pinot meunier, this rosé cuvée embodies the chromatic and gustatory sensibility of the estate. The color, a luminous salmon pink, announces a delicate nose of wild strawberry, peony, and pink citrus. The pursuit of irreproachable freshness guides every winemaking decision: no dosage, controlled aging on the lees, a fine and airy effervescence. On the palate, the texture is silky, carried by a tension that bears the Lurquin signature. Confidential production.

Champagne Rosé, Les Forcières Rosé

Crafted from pinot noir grown on the terroir of Romery, this cuvée benefits from 12 months of aging on the lees in barrels. It is produced in infinitesimal quantities. Its deep rosé robe, almost ruby in transparency, betrays a precise and intentional vinification. The nose plays on firm-fleshed red fruits, discreet grenadine, and a persistent chalky minerality. The palate is clean, precise, with a chiseled effervescence that underscores the elegance of the lieu-dit. 

Coteaux Champenois Rouge, Les Forcières in its purest form (100% Pinot Noir)

This still red wine is made from pinot noir sourced from the harvest of the lieu-dit Les Forcières, near the village of Romery. Approximately 80% of the grapes are destemmed, while the remaining 20% are vinified as whole clusters, followed by a 27-day maceration in 600-litre barrels, then 25 months of aging in oak barrels before bottling. Production is extremely limited. The soils, very similar to those of Chablis, produce wines with a vibrant salinity, and this Coteaux Champenois rouge is the most eloquent demonstration of that. The color is a deep garnet red with violet highlights. The nose, of restrained intensity, offers ripe dark fruits, graphite, damp earth after rain, and a faint smoky suggestion. The palate is grave and concentrated, crossed by a Champenois acidity that lends it an unexpected freshness for a red of such depth.

Coteaux Champenois Rouge, Les Forcières Rosé 

The soils, very similar to those of Chablis, produce wines with a vibrant salinity, and the still rosé of the Coteaux Champenois is another expression of this — lighter and more spring-like. Made from pinot noir from the same plot as the red, it expresses itself through notes of fresh raspberry, redcurrant, rose petal, and a hint of chalk. The palate is fluid, fresh, animated by a lightness that does not exclude depth. Serve slightly chilled alongside fine charcuterie or a mushroom risotto.