Champagne Fleury

“The original and some would suggest the best of the Biodynamic Champagnes (certified by Ecocert and accredited to Demeter and Biodyvin), Champagne Fleury is based in the less than entirely fashionable Cote des Bars and excels in the production of Pinot Noir” –  Berry Brothers & Rudd

Champagne Fleury was established in 1895, based in Courteron in the Côte de Bar. Cote de Bar is in the southern tip of the Champagne appellation and is actually closer to Chablis than to the more famous towns of Reims or Epernay we so often associate with this region. The soil types they work with here are Kimmeridgian Marls in comparison to the chalks of the northern villages.

The Fleury family has always favoured innovation, Emile Fleury (1894) a master grafter was the first to plant grafted pinot noir vines in the region after the devastating invasion of Phylloxera. The Modern story of Fleury really began in 1929 with Robert Fleury who dared to create his own champagne from the family vineyards to save his harvest, becoming the first récoltants-manipulants (Grower Producer) of southern champagne. In 1970 Robert passed the torch onto Jean-Pierre Fleury who was the first in Champagne to convert his vineyards to biodynamics in 1989, achieving Biodynamic certification in 1992.

The Family farms 15 hectares of vineyards biodynamically with the oldest vines planted in 1970. The vines benefit from over 30 years of soil work with biodynamics, allowing greater penetration of the roots through the geological strata to the bedrock, drawing nutrients deep from the soil.

In the cellar, vinification is slow, taking the time to build complexity into the vin clairs, fermentations have returned to oak barrels respecting the history of the house and to ensure wines of greater texture and complexity. Each parcel of fruit is fermented separately, collecting a palette of each unique terroir to fully understand the vintage conditions. The wines are matured on lees until the spring before blending. Reserve wine is essential to the Fleury signature style, wines are matured in a solera dating back to 2007, housed in 60-Hectolitre oak casks hailing from Cognac. Bottling for secondary fermentation is always conducted on fruit days, and many vintages are sealed with cork for the secondary fermentation, allowing for micro-oxygenation adding greater complexity to the wines.