Friday took us to the Aube and the most southerly part of the Champagne region. The principal area is the Côte des Bars, situated to the south of Troyes. There has always been a bit of a disconnect between this area and the more densely planted and the better-known areas around Reims and Epernay. In the early 20th Century there were riots when it was suggested that the Aube might be removed from the Champagne appellation. Given that 25% of the Champagne vineyards are here, it was right that the Aube was formally included in 1911. Now, it remains an extremely important production zone for high quality fruit – in particular Pinot Noir.
Our first visit was at Maison Devaux. Devaux was a famous Champagne house run by a succession of three widows until 1951 and was then merged with the Union Auboise co-operative in 1987. Cathy Mathieu hosted our visit with great aplomb and we took a brief walk in the gardens, visited the Seine river and admired the impressive dovecote.
Then it was into the tasting room to explore the top level D range which is limited production and reflects the best plots from the best growers. This was a great tasting and allowed us to compare and contrast a range of styles, different blends, varying dosage and culminating in their 2014 Millésimé.
Lunch was extremely enjoyable at the family run Le Val Moret restaurant in Magnant. We washed down a fresh vegetable tartelette, lamb and an apricot dessert with a Côte des Bars Champagne and an excellent Coteaux Champenois Pinot Noir.
From lunch it was 30 minutes to Champagne Drappier – one of the top estates of the area and a globally well known estate.
Laury was hosting the visit and we explored the 12th century cellars and heard about the experimental approach that Drappier has – particularly with wooden and concrete eggs. We rounded off the visit with an excellent tasting that showed off the diversity and quality for which this estate is renowned.
It was a long day and very hot – we rolled back into Reims at 8pm!