Independent Le Mesnil-sur-Oger house making Chardonnay Champagne with full malolactic fermentation and a Single Barrel Project.
The producer
Champagne Paul Launois is an independent house built from a Launois family vineyard in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The vines have had no chemical inputs for many years, with winter grass cover and summer soil tilling. All grapes are Chardonnay. Julien Launois allows full malolactic fermentation and does not blend wines, while Sarah Launois, a graphic artist, designs the labels. The family business once sold its wine through a cooperative under Champagne Jean-Pierre Launois.
Known for
Chardonnay Champagne and barrel experiments
Notable facts
The vineyard uses no chemical inputs, winter grass cover cropping and summer soil tilling.
Monochrome is a Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
Julien Launois allows full malolactic fermentation.
Julien Launois does not blend wines.
Sarah Launois is a graphic artist who designs the house's labels.
The story
Sarah Designs The Labels
Sarah Launois is a graphic artist who designed the labels for the champagne house she founded with Julien. Julien and Sarah made their first champagne in 2015 after he had worked abroad for nine years. Their family vineyard had previously sold wine through the cooperative method under Champagne Jean-Pierre Launois. The brand carries the name of their son, Paul. Under the Paul Launois name, Sarah's labels accompany an independent house whose grapes are all Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in Champagne.
From the atlas
Champagne Paul Launois
An independent Le Mesnil-sur-Oger house making Chardonnay Champagne with oak toast and battonage experiments.
At A Glance
Region
Champagne
Village
Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Main grape
Chardonnay
Signature wine
Monochrome, Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc
Defining feature
Single Barrel Project with oak toast and battonage experiments
The Producer
Sarah Launois designs the labels for Champagne Paul Launois. The brand takes its name from the couple's son, Paul, and grew from a Launois family vineyard owned for several generations. The family business historically sold its wine through a cooperative under Champagne Jean-Pierre Launois; Julien and Sarah now run an independent champagne house.
The house makes approximately 25,000 bottles a year and exports 90% of its production. Julien allows full malolactic fermentation, which softens acidity, and avoids over-intervention in the cellar.
Place
Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is the single village source for the house's Chardonnay. Monochrome carries the Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc designation from the same village. In Champagne, Grand Cru identifies the highest village classification, while Blanc de Blanc describes sparkling wine made from white grapes, here Chardonnay.
Wines
Monochrome is the primary cuvée, a Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger with low dosage. The Single Barrel Project sits beside it as a cellar experiment. It uses ten artisanal oak barrels, with each pair toasted to a different degree, and records different battonage levels on chalked cellar walls.
Final Word
Julien Launois does not blend wines, believing there are no bad vintages, only troublesome vintages that express themselves differently.