From the atlas
Beaumont des Crayères
A Mardeuil cooperative specializing in Meunier focused Champagne and a range of named Fleur cuvées.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Place | Mardeuil, Champagne |
| House type | Cooperative |
| Main grape | Meunier |
| Named cuvées | Fleur Blanche and Fleur de Meunier |
| Defining feature | Meunier focused Champagne |
The Producer
Beaumont des Crayères is a cooperative Champagne house in Mardeuil. It manages 80 hectares of vineyards and specializes in Meunier focused champagnes. The range includes Grande Réserve Brut and Grand Rosé alongside Fleur Blanche and Fleur de Meunier.
Place
Beaumont des Crayères is based in Mardeuil, Champagne. Its address is 64 rue de la Liberté, 51530 Mardeuil. The producer's name comes from two Mardeuil vineyard sites, Beaumont and Crayères.
Soil And Site
Beaumont refers to a hillside with ideal exposure to sunshine and natural soil drainage. Crayères refers to chalky subsoil associated with Champagne vineyards. Sunlight supports ripening, drainage moves excess water away from the roots, and chalk can hold moisture between rains. Sparkling grapes need ripe fruit and firm acidity, so these are practical conditions for Champagne wine.
Story
In 1955, small wine growers joined forces to promote their vineyards instead of selling to large houses. Their decision established Beaumont des Crayères as a cooperative. The cooperative now makes Grande Réserve Brut, Grand Rosé and the Fleur cuvées.
Vineyards And Cellar
Meunier accounts for 65% of the vineyard plantings, making it the dominant grape in the cooperative's vineyard base. The Fleur cuvées undergo a long ageing period before release. Extended ageing can soften the bubbles and add bread or pastry notes to sparkling wine.
Wines
The named range includes Grande Réserve Brut, Grand Rosé, Fleur Blanche Blanc de Blancs Brut and Fleur de Meunier Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature. Fleur Blanche is a Blanc de Blancs with Extra-Brut dosage. Fleur de Meunier is a Blanc de Noirs made from 100% Meunier, with Brut Nature dosage and the 2016 vintage. Blanc de Blancs means a sparkling wine made from white grapes; Blanc de Noirs means a white sparkling wine made from dark grapes. Grande Réserve Brut and Grand Rosé sit alongside the Fleur cuvées as the other named wines.
In The Glass
Fleur Blanche has a luminous golden robe. Its nose opens with white flowers and grapefruit, then bergamot and a touch of minerality. A fresh attack brings good length and ends on pomelo.
Fleur de Meunier has an expressive nose of roses, cinnamon and figs. The palate is chiselled and delicious, with gingerbread, brioche, apricots and mirabelle plums, followed by a delicate citrus finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Fleur Blanche Blanc de Blancs Brut is the first bottle to open. It is made exclusively from the cœur de cuvée at pressing and is 100% Chardonnay. Blanc de Blancs means a sparkling wine made from white grapes; here the grape and the pressing fraction are both defined. The bottle combines a single grape with a defined portion of the pressing before the Fleur range turns to Meunier.
Anecdote
Beaumont des Crayères treated the Fleur cuvées as a blend exercise. For Fleur Blanche, it considered six possible blends and chose blend number 4 because it matched the Beaumont des Crayères style of wine. Fleur de Meunier went through nine possible blends, with blend number 9 receiving the final choice. The chosen versions became the named Fleur Blanche and Fleur de Meunier cuvées. Each final choice fixed the blend for its named Fleur bottle.
Final Word
Beaumont des Crayères is a Mardeuil cooperative with Meunier at the centre of its vineyards. Its Fleur range separates Chardonnay and Meunier into named cuvées.
Sources
- https://www.champagne.fr/en/visit-champagne/directory-champagne-producers/champagne-beaumont-des-crayeres
- https://www.champagne-beaumont.com/en/produit/fleur-blanche-2015/
- https://www.champagne-beaumont.com/en/produit/fleur-de-meunier-2016/