Leuvrigny

Location

Leuvrigny lies in the west of the Marne département, in the arrondissement of Épernay and the canton of Dormans-Paysages de Champagne. The commune sits between the Marne valley and the Brie forestière, the wooded part of the Brie. By road, Épernay is 18 kilometres away, Dormans 12 and Reims 41. The neighbouring communes are Mareuil-le-Port, Œuilly and Festigny.

The commune covers 800 hectares, with elevations ranging from 80 to 239 metres. The village itself lies in the north-west, on the slopes of the Flagot valley. Here the Flagot forms the boundary with Mareuil-le-Port. To the south and north of the commune the plateau of the Brie spreads out, with the Bois des Roches and the Bois de Misy.

Viticulture

Leuvrigny belongs to the Champagne wine region, but has neither grand cru nor premier cru status. Even so, the village economy is strongly geared towards champagne. The vines stand on the valley slopes in the west. In the Marne valley, Pinot Meunier traditionally plays a major role, often making the wines fruity and approachable.

The way the land is used shows how rural the commune is. According to 2018 data, woodland covers 38.6 per cent, arable land 24 per cent and permanent crops, mainly vines, 17.4 per cent. The climate is temperate oceanic, with an average annual temperature of around 10.7 °C and roughly 770 millimetres of rainfall on average over the period 1971 to 2000.

“According to 2018 data, woodland covers 38.6 per cent, arable land 24 per cent and permanent crops, mainly vines, 17.4 per cent.

Village and hamlets

With 316 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023), Leuvrigny is small. The village proper is made up of dense, old buildings with narrow lanes, where family homes and growers' premises stand side by side. Because vines surround the village, it has barely been able to grow. Only about a third of the inhabitants live here.

Ayala Champagner-Keller

Two thirds live in the hamlet of Chêne la Reine on the plateau, at over 200 metres above sea level. It stretches along the D323 departmental road and already reaches across into the territory of Festigny.

Sights and nature

• The church of Saint-Martin in the village
• Vineyards on the slopes of the Flagot valley
• Bois des Roches: a woodland of 239 hectares between Leuvrigny and Festigny, designated a natural area of ecological interest (ZNIEFF)

The Bois des Roches shows typical woodland communities of the Brie champenoise, including oak and hornbeam forest and damp alder stands in the valley bottoms. It belongs to a larger wooded area with ponds to the south and west of Épernay.

For visitors

Leuvrigny is not a destination for grand sights, but for travellers who want to get to know a winegrowing village in the Marne valley away from the well-known names. If you are visiting Épernay, you can add a quiet extra here: walks between vines and woodland, a look inside the village church and, by arrangement, perhaps a visit to one of the local growers.