Bar-sur-Seine Champagne cooperative using first press wines, oak foudre reserve wines and extended bottle maturation.
The producer
Champagne Devaux is a cooperative based in Bar-sur-Seine, in the Côte des Bar. The wider Union Auboise operation had more than 800 growers supplying 1,400 hectares of vineyards in 2023. Devaux's house charter goes beyond appellation requirements, with sustainable viticulture, technical monitoring and parcel selection for Collection D. In the cellar, reserve wines age mainly in oak foudres and Classiques blends use only first press wines.
Known for
Côte des Bar cooperative Champagne
Notable facts
Jules and Auguste Devaux launched the house in 1846.
Three women successively directed the house.
Reserve wines from preceding harvests are aged mainly in oak foudres.
Classiques blends use only first press wines.
The story
The Family Line Ends
In 1987, Jean-Pol Auguste Devaux was the last of the family line and had no heir. He entrusted the historic Devaux brand to Union Auboise. The handover moved the name into the Union Auboise wine group, while Champagne Devaux continued as a cooperative based in Bar-sur-Seine.
From the atlas
Champagne Devaux
Champagne Devaux is a Bar-sur-Seine cooperative with first press Classiques blends, oak foudre reserve wines, and extended bottle maturation.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Producer type
Champagne cooperative
Base
Bar-sur-Seine, in the Côte des Bar
Regional setting
Southern Champagne appellation
Grape focus
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Augusta Brut
Named wines
Augusta Brut and Cœur des Bar Rosé
The Producer
Jules and Auguste Devaux launched the house in 1846. Three women successively directed it. In 1987, Jean-Pol Auguste Devaux, the last of the family line and without an heir, entrusted the brand to Union Auboise. Champagne Devaux is identified as a cooperative based in Bar-sur-Seine.
In 2023, the wider Union Auboise operation had more than 800 growers supplying 1,400 hectares of Côte des Bar vineyards. Devaux's grower members follow a house charter stricter than the appellation requirements, including sustainable viticulture, technical monitoring at key stages of the growing season, and parcel selection for Collection D.
Place
The Côte des Bar occupies the southern part of the Champagne appellation between Bar-sur-Seine and Bar-sur-Aube. Champagne Devaux's cellar is at Hameau de Villeneuve, where the house occupies the Manor of Villeneuve in a wooded park beside the Seine.
The vineyard network shapes the handling of the fruit. Pressing takes place as close as possible to the areas where the grapes are picked. Shortening the journey from vineyard to press helps preserve the condition of freshly harvested fruit before fermentation.
Wines
The named range includes Augusta Brut and Cœur des Bar Rosé. Augusta Brut combines Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cœur des Bar Rosé is a rosé Champagne. Collection D uses parcel selection, giving the range a bottle category built around specific vineyard areas.
The Classiques blends use only first press wines, the earliest and gentlest fraction released during pressing. Reserve wines from preceding harvests are aged mainly in oak foudres, large vessels that allow gradual oxygen exchange while adding less oak flavour than small barrels. After secondary fermentation, Devaux gives its Champagnes extended maturation in bottle.
Augusta Brut can show baked apple, black pepper and background woodiness, with a long brioche finish. Another tasting found lemon rind, green apple and a creamy brioche mid palate.
Final Word
Champagne Devaux combines a Bar-sur-Seine cooperative vineyard network with first press Classiques blends, oak foudre reserve wines, and extended bottle maturation. Augusta Brut brings Chardonnay and Pinot Noir into the named range, while Cœur des Bar Rosé adds a rosé cuvée.