Beaunay

Location

Beaunay lies in the west of the Marne département, in the Grand Est region. In agricultural terms the commune belongs to the Brie champenoise. The village itself sits in the north of the commune, on the slopes of the Champagne vineyard. The land rises from 156 to 244 metres, and is highest north of the village, on the Côte d'Île-de-France.

Distances to the region's best-known towns:

• Épernay: about 24 kilometres
• Châlons-en-Champagne: about 39 kilometres
• Reims: about 53 kilometres

The D618 runs through the village towards Montmort-Lucy. To the south run the D933, the former Route Nationale 33, and the D37 towards Vertus. Beaunay is also linked to Épernay by a shared catchment area for daily life.

Viticulture and landscape

Beaunay is neither a Grand Cru nor a Premier Cru village. So anyone passing through will not find a name from the top league of the vineyard classification, but a piece of Champagne without any distinction. The commune covers around 3.6 square kilometres, or 353 hectares. Almost all of it is farmed: about 76 per cent is arable land and just under 18 per cent permanent crops. These permanent crops include the vines. Woodland plays almost no part, at half a per cent.

“At the nearest weather station, in Chouilly, the mean annual temperature for 1991 to 2020 is 11.4 °C, with rainfall of around 669 millimetres a year.

The climate is temperate oceanic with cool summers. At the nearest weather station, in Chouilly, the mean annual temperature for 1991 to 2020 is 11.4 °C, with rainfall of around 669 millimetres a year. These are the typical conditions in which Champagne produces fresh base wines with pronounced acidity.

History and name

The village name goes back to the Gallic god Belenos. Beaunay is first mentioned in records in 1222. Over the centuries the spelling changed several times, to Biaunai, Beaunoy or Beaulnay, for example. In the 19th century the village was partly rebuilt. Most of today's houses, however, were only built from the 1970s onwards.

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Champagne

Sights

The village's architectural landmark is the church of Notre-Dame, dating from the 16th century. There is not much else to see, and that is precisely the appeal: Beaunay is a quiet place with 102 inhabitants (2023), which, besides the village itself, includes the two hamlets of Bel-Air and Moulin Macquart. Almost all the buildings are detached family houses, and there are no flats to speak of.

For lovers of good food and wine, Beaunay makes a suitable stopover on a drive through the west of the Marne. If you want to get to know Champagne away from the big names, you will find vineyards, fields and village life here, without the crowds.