Aurélien Lurquin

The History of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

The story of Domaine Aurélien Lurquin is that of a man who chose to return to his roots after traveling the wine world. Aurélien first apprenticed with Luc Pavelot in Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy, from 2002 to 2005, before venturing as far as Maule, Chile, where he discovered the daily practice of working the vineyards by horse. These formative experiences—Burgundian rigor and Chilean freedom—would shape a vision of wine as distinctive as it is coherent.

His training as a winemaker also came from his grandfather, who had worked as a winemaker at Maison Lanson for several decades, and from a doctorate in enology. Returning to Champagne, Aurélien settled in Romery and began converting his plots to organic and biodynamic farming in 2007. That same year, he acquired his magnificent traditional Coquart press, capable of pressing 2,000 kg of grapes, which his cabinetmaker father restored.

The first harvests were devoted solely to producing still Coteaux Champenois wines. Organic and biodynamic certification followed in 2012, and deliberately limited yields initially led him to sell some of his grapes to Leclerc-Briant, one of the houses most committed to biodynamics. It was not until 2013 that Aurélien made his first natural Champagnes. Since then, he has gradually reduced the amount of fruit sold to merchants, devoting most of his production to his own cuvées, particularly from 2017 onward.

Today, Aurélien is a member of “Des pieds et des vins,” an association dedicated to showcasing terroir-driven Champagnes. This artistic and ethical outlook encapsulates the estate’s identity.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

Aurélien Lurquin’s terroir centers above all on the village of Romery, nestled in the Marne Valley. The estate comprises 2.3 hectares across 15 plots, the oldest of which, named “Les Crayères,” was planted by his grandfather in 1947. These vines carry the memory of a family, a land and a calling passed down through generations.

The soils are dominated by a thick layer of chalk topped with clay and sandstone. These chalky soils, similar to those found in Chablis, give the wines a vibrant salinity and profound minerality that are the estate’s signature. The limestone subsoil drains water effectively while preserving the freshness essential to the Champagne harvest.

The vineyard is planted predominantly to Pinot Noir (40%), followed by Chardonnay (35%), Pinot Meunier (24%) and a little-known variety, Petit Meslier (1%). This last grape, now almost absent from Champagne’s vineyards, reflects Aurélien’s desire to preserve rare and valuable grape diversity.

From the outset, Aurélien has worked his soils by horse and raised the height of the vine trellises to encourage natural growth without trimming the shoot tips. This approach, respectful of the vines, aims to restore their full vitality. He grows grass between the rows to increase soil diversity. Certified organic and biodynamic, the vines receive no herbicides or chemical or systemic fertilizers. Biodynamic preparations are used with care to minimize the use of copper and sulfur.

The varied exposures of the plots, some facing due south like those in Les Forcières, further enrich the wines’ aromatic range, with each named site offering its own expression of the Romery terroir.

Winemaking at Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

Aurélien Lurquin’s winemaking philosophy can be summed up in a few words: attentiveness, precision and nonintervention. 

It all begins in the vineyard, with a rigorous selection of grapes. Aurélien instructs his pickers to sort strictly and keep only the healthiest berries. Before sending them to the press, he personally checks their quality twice. Harvesting takes place at night or early in the morning to preserve the berries’ freshness.

After pressing in the Coquart press, the juice flows by gravity to the old traditional cellar. The cuvée and taille press fractions are generally kept separate, but may also be blended at a ratio of three parts cuvée to one part taille. Aurélien seeks absolute freshness in his wines, which makes him particularly attentive to their overall tension.

Alcoholic fermentation is entirely spontaneous, driven solely by indigenous yeasts. Aging is lengthy and takes place in oak barrels, without filtration or dosage. Aurélien experiments with adding must from the following harvest to the base wine, extending the base wines’ time on the lees to more than a full year. For his Coteaux Champenois, the wine rests in barrels for up to three years.

Only small amounts of liquid sulfur are used when the wine is transferred to tank, and even then as sparingly as possible. No other additives are permitted: no added sugar, no fining agents, no chaptalization. Each bottle is a direct, honest reflection of its vintage and its plot.

The Cuvées of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

Champagne Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay Les Traverses

This Blanc de Blancs champagne is made entirely from Chardonnay grown on Aurélien Lurquin’s small, 2.5-hectare estate. The plots are vinified separately in concrete tanks and barrels, with indigenous yeasts driving alcoholic fermentation. This champagne is aged in barrel on its full lees for 12 months. It receives no dosage, making it a Brut Nature champagne. Production is minimal. On the nose, this Blanc de Blancs shows striking purity: delicate citrus, white flowers, damp chalk and a light touch of honey. The palate has electrifying tension, carried by fine, persistent bubbles that draw out the long mineral finish.

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

Named “Les Crayères du Levant,” this cuvée is made exclusively from grapes harvested in the plot of the same name in Romery, in the Marne Valley. Vinification takes place in inert vessels, concrete tanks and barrels. Indigenous yeasts initiate alcoholic fermentation. The champagne is then aged in barrel on its lees for 12 months to develop complexity. Production is minimal. On tasting, this champagne reveals complex aromas of flowers, blueberry, apple, flint and honey. The palate is concentrated, with notes of lemon, yellow apple and licorice. The effervescence is exceptionally fine, the bubbles seemingly propelled by the energy of Romery’s chalky subsoil. A characterful Meunier, both taut and generous, that brings depth and lightness together.

Champagne Blanc de Noirs, 100% Pinot Noir Les Forcières

This cuvée comes from the Les Forcières site, where the south-facing vines are rooted in clay and flint soils and farmed organically. The grapes are harvested early in the morning to preserve their freshness, then pressed very slowly in the old Coquard press. The juices then ferment in old barrels with indigenous yeasts and no additives. Aging continues for eleven months on the lees before bottling for the second fermentation. With no dosage, this Brut Nature champagne expresses Champagne Pinot Noir in its purest form.

Champagne Rosé, Saignée de Meunier

Made from saignée Pinot Meunier, this rosé cuvée embodies the estate’s sensitivity to color and flavor. Its luminous salmon-pink hue heralds delicate aromas of wild strawberry, peony and pink citrus. The pursuit of impeccable freshness guides every winemaking decision: no dosage, carefully managed lees aging, and fine, airy bubbles. On the palate, it is silky, with the tension that is Lurquin’s hallmark. Produced in very limited quantities.

Champagne Rosé, Les Forcières Rosé

Made from Pinot Noir grown in the Romery terroir, this cuvée spends 12 months aging on its lees in barrels. It is produced in minute quantities. Its deep rosé color, almost translucent ruby, reveals precise, deliberate winemaking. The nose offers firm-fleshed red fruit, a subtle grenadine note and persistent chalky minerality. The palate is clean and precise, with finely etched bubbles that highlight the elegance of the site. 

Coteaux Champenois Red, Les Forcières in Its Purest Form (100% Pinot Noir)

This still red wine is made from Pinot Noir harvested at Les Forcières, near the village of Romery. About 80% of the grapes are destemmed, while the remaining 20% are vinified as whole clusters. They undergo 27 days of maceration in 600-liter barrels, followed by 25 months of aging in oak barrels before bottling. Production is extremely limited. Soils very similar to those of Chablis produce wines with vibrant salinity, and this red Coteaux Champenois is its most eloquent demonstration. Deep garnet red with violet highlights, it offers a restrained yet intense nose of ripe dark fruit, graphite, rain-damp earth and a faint smoky note. The palate is serious and concentrated, shot through with a Champagne acidity that gives it unexpected freshness for a red of such depth.

Coteaux Champenois Red, Les Forcières Rosé 

The soils, very similar to those of Chablis, produce wines with vibrant salinity, and the still Coteaux Champenois rosé offers another, lighter and more springlike expression of it. Made from Pinot Noir from the same plot as the red, it shows notes of fresh raspberry, red currant, rose blossom and a hint of chalk. The palate is fluid and fresh, with a lightness that does not preclude depth. Serve slightly chilled with fine charcuterie or mushroom risotto.