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Arlaux

Arlaux is a tiny Champagne house run by Christine Maréchal. A recoltant-manipulant, Maréchal is based in Vrigny, and owns just seven hectares of Premier Cru vines, predominantly Chardonnay but with both Pinots planted alongside, on the north-western edge of the Petite Montagne de Reims. The family have lived in Vrigny since the 13th Century, but only purchased their vineyard from the local hospital following the French Revolution in the late 18th Century. Champagne Arlaux was subsequently established, and now turns out a small range of Champagnes, amounting to just 5000 cases per annum.

Champagne Arlaux All of the Arlaux wines are made from the first pressing only, and following both fermentations will be aged in the Arlaux cellars before release, with up to three years for the basic non-vintage cuvées, and up to five years for the reserve non-vintage and vintage wines. The entry level non-vintage is the Brut NV, a blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and just 10% Chardonnay. As is often the case, the Rosé is a very similar blend, made using addition of red wine rather than the saignée method. The Vieille Reserve is the superior non-vintage cuvée, aged in bottle for five years before release as is the Brut Vintage, which is plainly a Chardonnay dominated cuvée.

Having tasted the two wines below, there seems to me to be good quality here. In particular, the vintage 1995 seems to offer very good value for money; definitely a recommended buy here. (14/2/06)

Contact details:
Address: 20 rue de la Vigne du Roi, Vrigny
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 26 03 66 97
Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 03 47 33

Arlaux - Tasting Notes

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1996

Arlaux Brut 1996: Honey and oiled nuts here. Very well defined, quite precise style. Evolved, creamy and rich. Welcoming, softly composed, some good, mature toffee flavours. Correct acidity. Gentle, tingling mousse. A very soft style, but lovely for drinking now. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 17.5/20 (March 2007)

1995

Arlaux Brut 1995: A very pale, lemon-gold hue. Good, developed nose. Rich with notes of fresh crusty bread, and freshly toasted cashew nuts. Very light bead, reflected by a gentle, fading mousse on the palate. Plenty of character, oily-nutty character with beautiful fresh acidity to match. Very Chardonnay in style, maturing very well, some organic, coffee, subtle caramel nuances. This is very good, and should continue to develop over the next five years. But very drinkable now. 17+/20 (January 2006)

Non-Vintage

Tasting notes are ordered by date of tasting, most recent first. I have tried to indicate whether it is a tasting of a new release, or of a wine I have cellared.

Arlaux Brut Premier Cru NV: Current release. Based principally on the 2002 vintage; this is not declared on the label, although Arlaux have plans to introduce this. This has a rather steely nose, and a rather firmly structured palate with a little nut-tinged fruit. There is more creaminess to the style at the midpalate. Underneath it all, piles of acidity. I suspect this cuvée will cellar well. From the 2008 annual Champagne tasting. 16+/20 (March 2008)

Arlaux Brut Réserve NV: Current release. As above, this wine is based on the 2000 vintage. Nicely elegant fruit on the nose. The palate possesses a good presence of rounded, balanced fruit which has a lovely integration with elegant structure and balance. There is a firm framework of bright acidity and a firm mousse. Very good indeed. From the 2008 annual Champagne tasting. 16+/20 (March 2008)

Arlaux Brut NV: A pale colour. Open, evolved nutty nose, cashew nuts in particular. Seems rather full and forward. Clean. Medium depth on the palate, gentle and rounded, a touch creamy. Gentle nuttiness, very accessible, fresh, with a nice vein of acidity through the finish. Clean and full. Very good. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 15.5+/20 (March 2007)

Arlaux Brut NV: Pale golden hue. Sparse, fine bead. Baking bread nose. A little nutty. Suggestion of autolysis. Rich. A little herbal and nettly too, with fresh lemon notes. Very good mousse; fine, persistent, prickling. Full, flavoursome, bready-nutty style. Very fresh, crisp acidity, nicely balanced. This is very good. 16.5/20 (January 2006)

Arlaux Rosé NV: Mainly the 2002 vintage, with some 2001 and 2000 blended in. All premier cru. Served rather too cold. A lovely hue though, somewhere between the peachy tones of a sunset and a coppery onion skin. Fresh and clean on the nose, with notes of blackberry leaf. Crisp palate, quite firmly composed, with a nice grip on the finish. This has a good style. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 15.5/20 (March 2007)