Aurélien Lurquin

History of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

The history of the Aurélien Lurquin domaine is that of a man who chose to return to his roots after a viticultural journey around the world. Aurélien first apprenticed in Burgundy alongside Luc Pavelot in Pernand-Vergelesses between 2002 and 2005, before venturing as far as Maule, in Chile, where he discovered the daily work on horseback among the vines. These formative experiences — Burgundian rigour and Chilean freedom — forged a vision of wine as singular as it is coherent.

His training as a winegrower also comes from his grandfather, a winegrower for several decades at Maison Lanson, and from a doctorate in oenology. Upon returning to Champagne, Aurélien settled in Romery and initiated, as early as 2007, the organic and biodynamic conversion of his plots. That same year, he acquired his magnificent traditional Coquard 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 Coteaux Champenois. In 2012, organic and biodynamic certification was obtained, and deliberately limited yields led initially to selling a portion of the grapes to the house of Leclerc-Briant, one of the most committed players in biodynamics. It was not until 2013 that Aurélien produced his first natural Champagne wines. 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 vocation is to shine a light on terroir-driven Champagne wines. An artistic and ethical positioning that encapsulates the identity of the domain in itself.

Terroirs and Vines of Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

Aurélien Lurquin's terroir is above all the village of Romery, nestled in the hollow of the Marne valley. The domain encompasses 2.3 hectares spread 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, and a vocation passed down through generations.

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

The vineyard is planted predominantly with pinot noir (40%), chardonnay (35%), pinot meunier (24%), and one confidential variety: petit meslier (1%). This latter grape variety, which has almost disappeared from the Champenois landscape, reflects Aurélien's determination to preserve a rare and precious ampelographic biodiversity.

From the very beginning, Aurélien worked his soils on horseback and raised the trellising height of the vines 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 biodiversity. Certified organic and biodynamic, the vines receive neither herbicides nor chemical or systemic fertilisers. Biodynamic preparations are used with care to minimise the use of copper and sulphur as much as possible.

The varied exposure of the plots — some 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 Romery terroir.

Winemaking at Champagne Aurélien Lurquin

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

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

After pressing in the Coquard 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 pay particularly close attention to the overall level of tension.

Alcoholic fermentation is entirely spontaneous, driven solely by indigenous yeasts. Ageing is long, in oak barrels, without filtration or dosage. Aurélien conducts experiments by adding must from the following harvest to the base wine, thereby extending the lees ageing 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 sulphur are used at vatting, and only in a minimal manner. No other additions 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 sourced from Aurélien Lurquin's small 2.5-hectare domain. The parcel-by-parcel vinification takes place in cement tanks and barrels, with indigenous yeasts conducting the alcoholic fermentation. This Champagne is aged for 12 months in barrel on full lees. It is not dosed, making it a Champagne Brut Nature. Production is minimal. On the nose, this Blanc de Blancs expresses itself with striking purity: fine citrus, white flowers, wet chalk and a light touch of honey. The palate delivers an electrifying tension, carried by a fine and persistent bubble that draws out the mineral finish at length.

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

Named "Les Crayères du Levant", this cuvée comes 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 in barrels. Indigenous yeasts trigger 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, yellow 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, both taut and generous, reconciling depth and lightness.

Champagne Blanc de Noirs, 100% Pinot Noir Les Forcières

This cuvée comes from the lieu-dit Les Forcières, whose vines, exposed due south, are rooted in a terroir of clay and flint, and cultivated using organic farming. The berries 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 thanks to indigenous yeasts, with no additions whatsoever. The ageing 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 its purest truth.

Champagne Rosé, Saignée de Meunier

Derived from a saignée of pinot meunier, this rosé cuvée embodies the domain's chromatic and gustatory sensibility. The colour, a luminous salmon pink, heralds a delicate nose of wild strawberry, peony and pink citrus. The pursuit of impeccable freshness guides every winemaking decision: no dosage, controlled lees ageing, a fine and airy effervescence. On the palate, the texture is silky, carried by a tension that bears Lurquin's signature. Confidential production.

Champagne Rosé, Les Forcières Rosé

Crafted from pinot noir grown on the Romery terroir, this cuvée benefits from 12 months of lees ageing in barrels. It is produced in infinitesimal quantities. Its deep rosé colour, almost ruby in transparency, reveals a precise and intentional winemaking approach. The nose plays on firm-fleshed red fruits, discreet grenadine and a persistent chalky minerality. The palate is clean, precise, with a chiselled 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 crafted 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 ageing in oak barrels before bottling. Production is extremely limited. The soils, very close to those of Chablis, produce wines with a vibrant salinity, and this Coteaux Champenois rouge is the most eloquent demonstration of this. The colour is a deep garnet red with violet highlights. The nose, of restrained intensity, offers ripe black fruits, graphite, wet earth after rain and a light smoky evocation. The palate is serious and concentrated, shot through with a Champenois acidity that lends it an unexpected freshness for a red of such depth.

Coteaux Champenois Rouge, Les Forcières Rosé 

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