L. Aubry Fils Brut Premier Cru
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The nose offers notes of white peach and raspberry. In the mouth, it's round with Pinot Meunier providing a firm-yet-soothing structure. A wine of great personality.
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Wine Spectator
A minerally version with a fine raw silky texture and a chalk-tinged base note layered with a juicy range of grainy pear strawberry biscuit orange blossom and anise. Fresh finish. Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Very unique Champagnes and among the best pink-fizz in the entire region. Be ready to have your mind expanded! Given the breadth of the range, it’s hard to make shift with a few telling descriptors. They are flowery and high-flying Champagnes, rather like a cross of Chartogne and Chiquet, but not exactly similar to either. Class, depth and detail are abundant. They are graceful, even when they’re intense. As Aubrys use concentrated must instead of sugar for their dosage, the palate "reads" the sweetness differently. There's more of a fructose texture, a clotted-cream kind of grip. I find these Champagnes alternately lovable and impressive, and occasionally both.
The Aubry estate is in the village of Jouy-les-Reims in the western part of the Montagne de Reims. Twin borthers Pierre and Philippe farm parcels in the limestone and clay soils of Jouy, as well as sites in three other premiere cru villages: Pargny-les-Reims, Villedommange, and Coulommes-la-Montagne.
Aubry also farms one and a half hectares of ancient grape varieties still permitted by A.O.C. law. Their plantings of Petit Mesilier, Fromenteau (Pinot Gris) and Arbanne were completed in 1989 to mark the 200 year aniversary of grape growing by the Aubry family. Aubry makes two different cuvees to showcase these rare grapes. The Le Novembre d'Or Veteres Vites blends all seven permissible grapes in the Champagne Appelation: Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc Petit Mesleir, Arbanne, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The Blanc de Blanc Le November d'Or Sable Brut blends Petit Meslier, Arbanne and Chardonnay all from parcels in Jouy-les-Reims. Sable is named for the French word for fettle or fine, referring to this cuvee's lower atmospheric pressure; four atmospheres, rather than the normal six.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’