Fleury Pere et Fils

The Champagne House is located in the small commune of Courtenon on the upper Seine on the Côte des Bar in the Aube department in the western part of Champagne. The company was founded in 1895 by Emile Fleury and initially only processed the grapes of other winegrowers. From 1901, own viticulture was added, but the grapes were delivered to other big houses. Under his son Robert Fleury, champagne was also marketed under his own name for the first time in 1929. At that time, he was one of the few récoltants manipulants who wanted to produce a high-quality vintner 's champagne. His son Jean-Pierre Fleury (1947-2023) originally wanted to become an astronomer, but then took over his family's vineyard in 1970. The vineyards cover 13 hectares of vines, mainly planted with the leading variety Pinot Noir (85%) and Chardonnay, as well as small stocks of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Some grapes are bought in from contract winegrowers.

Jean-Pierre Fleury, also known as the "Druid", is considered a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in Champagne and was a sought-after consultant on the subject of biodynamics. He had already started to work on alternative organic farming methods in the early 1970s. Among other things, only organic fertiliser was used and weeds were controlled mechanically instead of with chemicals in an environmentally friendly way. In 1998, he was elected president of the Association des Champagnes Biologiques (ACB). In 2016, he took over the leadership of a movement of organic winegrowers who advocate the abolition of herbicides. With the "Fleur de l'Europe", the first organic champagne was created in 1989. The product range includes a dozen different types of champagne. Some of them are also matured in wooden barrels instead of stainless steel tanks, as is usually the case, and are partly sulphur-free. Since 1992, the entire area has been cultivated according to the biodynamic rules of the DEMETER organic association. Since 2009, the farm has been run by the fourth generation, Jean-Sébastien Fleury, assisted by his sister Morgane.

Pictures: Champagne Fleury