Ascension in the Aube: Amaury Beaufort 2020s
Amaury, from a recent visit.
2020 marks just his third vintage making wines under his own label and already Amaury’s star is on the rise. His single-vintage, single-parcel wines are pushing the envelope in both the vineyard and the cellar and he has quickly added his name to the short list of great producers in the Aube.
Standing Out
We first tasted Amaury’s wines at the annual organic growers association tasting event in Reims in the spring of 2022. The tasting was positively bustling with hundreds of wine professionals jockeying for a taste from one of the 50+ Champagne producers pouring and it can be difficult to make an impression among the chaos. However, a visit to Amaury’s table lit us up with excitement with a single taste. We knew we had to follow up and visit to find out more. A few weeks later we were heading south from Reims to the Aube to visit Amaury at his home and winery in the village of Bar-sur-Siene. This may go without saying, but the visit confirmed what was in our glass weeks earlier in Reims… and then some. We came back to Oregon with bottles to share with the crew and the excitement only grew. We visited again in 2023 and continue to be thrilled with the work he is doing.
History
Amaury was born into the Ambonnay-based Champagne André Beaufort family and began working at the winery in 2003. He opted not to take over the domain and instead moved south from Ambonnay to the Aube to establish his own label and farm his own vines.
Le Jardinot. The vineyard, singular.
Amaury’s father, Jacques, bought a 3 hectare parcel on a beautiful Kimmeridgian limestone slope in 1969 in the village of Polisy. Jacques planted the parcel himself and never farmed it with chemicals. He later divided it up into 3 single-hectare plots and gave them to his children. Amaury’s plot is in the center and may be one of the most chemical-free vineyards in all of Champagne. He is surrounded on the left and right by his sibling’s vineyards, both of which are farmed organically. Above the vineyard is a forest and below is a road which provides an additional shield against contamination from neighboring vineyards that may not practice viticulture with the same principles.
Amaury’s single hectare (2.47 acres) vineyard, which he named Le Jardinot, is the only vineyard he farms and he does all of the work himself. He has no employees or help in the vineyard or cellar, which again is highly uncommon. He suggests his way of working is only possible with the attention to detail he demands because he is so small. Amaury thrives in the granular, the singular and is making wines of great distinction and place.
From the bottom of Le Jardinot looking up towards the forest.
Amaury’s progressive approach to viticulture and winemaking is rarely seen in Champagne.
There are many growers now working organically in Champagne, but organics are just the beginning for Amaury. He is taking natural farming to another level. After all, his father Jacques was one of the first growers in champagne to stop using chemicals in the vineyards all the way back in 1970 and Amaury has taken his father’s philosophy and pushed it even further in his own vines.
In the vineyard Amaury uses no chemicals of any kind. No herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers are used and he also does not spray copper or sulfur on the vines, which is extremely rare. Instead he uses essential oils and teas as treatments.
In the cellar Amaury vinifies all of his wines native yeast and he does not use sulfur at all. Even his prise de mousse (the sugar and yeast addition that kicks off the secondary fermentation that creates the bubbles) is made from his own grapes’ yeast. The process of using native yeast for the prise de mousse is extremely technical and laborious and very few producers employ this method. The commitment required to work in this way is admirable and even some of the most famous and influential natural winemakers in Champagne have tried and given up on the practice.
Wine Style
Amaury picks fully ripe fruit, vinifies the wines in large oval shaped oak foudres and then transfers the wines into 600L barrels for aging. The wines are made with zero additions, no dosage and are bottled with lower pressure than many producers in Champagne. The three wines for 2020 are all beautifully delicate, expressive and finely balanced with a poised confidence. These wines do not shout, but draw you in with their subtle layered complexities.
Le Jardinot XX Brut Nature
This cuveé is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. The nose offers up rich aromas of toasted hazelnuts, geraniums, baking spices, cooked pears and red apple skins. The bubbles are very fine and subtle resulting in a Champagne that drinks like a still wine with a lovely salinity and a texture of pure silk. Special price $108.00 until May 17. $125.00 after.
Le Jardinot Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature
100% Pinot Noir. This wine shares the richness, texture and delicacy of the Brut Nature, but is more red fruited in profile and has a smoky-savory sesame oil aroma. There is also a lovely red apple skin grip on the persistent finish. Special price $108.00 until May 17. $125.00 after.
Le Jardinot Rosé Brut Nature
100% Pinot Noir. Amaury’s Rosé puts the floral side of Pinot Noir on display with aromas of rose petals, honey and wet stones. The red fruit notes are dialed up a notch from the Blanc de Noir, resulting in a beautifully long finish of juicy caramelized apples. Special price $108.00 until May 17. $125.00 after