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Champagne · France

Producer profile

Champagne Couche

Buxeuil Champagne estate with biodynamic farming, Pinot Noir and select Chardonnay parcels, indigenous yeasts, and Élégance and Chloé cuvées.

Place
Champagne · France
Known for
Biodynamic Buxeuil Pinot Noir Champagne
Wine context
Chardonnay · Pinot Noir
Editorial basis
World of Wine editorial profile · 7 sources

World of Wine editorial profile · Source list ↓

Atlas locationChampagne · France48.06° N · 4.40° E

At A Glance

Field
Detail
Region
Champagne, Côte des Bar, Aube
Home village
Buxeuil
Holdings
15 hectares, 12 at Buxeuil and 3 in Montgueux
Farming
Biodynamic, Demeter certified
Named cuvées
Vincent Couche Élégance and Chloé

The Producer

Vincent Couche established the independent Champagne estate in the village of Buxeuil in 1996. Pinot Noir is the principal grape planted there, with Chardonnay in select parcels.

Biodynamic farming began in 1998, and Demeter certification followed in 2011. Cow horn preparations use manure buried over winter, while finely ground silica is buried in a cow horn over summer. Lunar and solar calendars guide the timing.

Place

Kimmeridgian clay limestone marl underlies the Buxeuil vineyards, which face south and southwest and contain fossilized oysters in the soil. Buxeuil sits in the Côte des Bar in the Aube, and the estate also has holdings in Montgueux.

Clay holds moisture and limestone drains excess water. South and southwest facing slopes receive more sunlight, supporting ripening, while limestone can help preserve freshness in Champagne.

Wines

The named wines include Vincent Couche Élégance and Chloé. Élégance is a Champagne cuvée made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Ten percent of the base wine is fermented in barrel, and the wine spends five years on lees. Lees are spent yeast cells; contact during ageing can add pastry aromas and a rounder texture. Its nose is saline and fresh, with crunchy pear, raspberry and golden delicious apple on the palate, followed by brioche and a long mineral finish.

Chloé comes from a perpetual solera begun in 2011, with 25% annual renewal and 50% oak vinification. A perpetual solera retains older wine as part of the cuvée is renewed each year, and this method can produce oxidative aromas. Chloé shows vanilla, candied citrus, white flowers and stone fruits.

Final Word

Annual production is about 100,000 bottles. All fermentations use indigenous yeasts only, and the wines are not chaptalized.

Sources

Keep following the thread

Where to go next

placeRead the Champagne guideSee Champagne Couche in the wider setting of Champagne.mapFind Champagne Couche on the mapKeep the producer, its region and nearby places together.learningUnderstand Pinot NoirRead the quick library guide to Pinot Noir, which is listed with this producer.