Description
The Wine
Every wine Hélène Charbaut makes is built around a single principle — one grape variety, one terroir, one cuvée. La Charbauterie is the exception that proves the rule: the one wine in the range where all three villages and all three grape varieties come together.
The blend is almost perfectly equal — 34% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir, 33% Meunier — from Premier Cru vineyards in Bisseuil, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and Avenay Val d’Or. Average vine age of 52 years on clay-limestone soils. The juice comes exclusively from the cuvée — the first and finest pressing — rather than the taille. Every drop vinified in old oak barrels of 2.28hl, with 35% reserve wine from 2021 held in both barrel and 25hl foudre. Unfiltered. Brut nature — zero dosage.
The perpetual reserve is one of the most distinctive elements of the Charbauterie — Hélène adds fresh wine to a reserve that accumulates across vintages, building complexity and depth that a single-vintage wine cannot achieve. The base vintage gives the wine its freshness and energy. The reserve gives it depth and continuity.
Vineyard & Vintage Details
Producer: Champagne Hélène Charbaut
Cuvée: La Charbauterie Premier Cru Extra Brut
Grapes: 34% Chardonnay · 33% Pinot Noir · 33% Meunier
Villages: Bisseuil · Mareuil-sur-Aÿ · Avenay Val d’Or
Classification: Premier Cru
Vine age: Average 52 years
Soil: Clay-limestone
Harvest: 2022 base · 35% 2021 reserve wine
Juice: Cuvée only — first pressing
Vinification: Old oak barrels 2.28hl · 25hl foudre reserve
Dosage: Brut nature · 0g/l
Production: 4,557 bottles
Farming: Organic · biodynamic
Format: 750ml
Hélène Charbaut
Hélène Charbaut is the fourth generation of a family farming in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ since 1937. Five cuvées — each a single grape variety, a single expression of Premier Cru terroir from a historic cave the family has worked for nearly a century.
All Hélène Charbaut wines are currently sold out. The next allocation is expected spring 2027 — join the pre-arrival list for first access when it arrives.
