Autreau Lasnot

Venteuil lies on the right bank of the Marne, and this is where the Autréau family has its estate. The vineyard came into being in the early 1930s through the union of the Autréau and Lasnot families. In 1932, Émile sold his own champagne for the first time. That year is therefore regarded as the founding year of the house.

Family and vineyards

Today the fifth generation works in the vineyard and the cellar: the brothers Fabrice and Florent Autréau and their wives Véronique and Virginie. The figures for vineyard area vary depending on the source. Gault&Millau gives around 15 hectares, other sources speak of 16 hectares. The vines stand in Venteuil and the surrounding villages, and the soils are mostly clay and limestone. According to the house, this adds up to 130 plots in 11 villages.

The profile with the Vignerons Indépendants gives the grape variety shares as 65% Pinot Meunier and 20% Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay making up the rest. Meunier therefore shapes the style of the house.

Approach and cuvées

In the vineyard, the family does not chase maximum yields. They have the soil worked with the plough and keep the use of additives to a strict minimum. They have also begun converting part of the vineyards to organic farming. In the cellar they make vintage champagnes, and some cuvées are aged in sandstone tanks or in wooden casks. The sandstone is meant to bring minerality, the cask roundness.

• Carte Bleue: a blanc de noirs in which Meunier dominates at 85%.
• Carte d'Or: a blend of the three champagne grape varieties.
• L'Inattendue: a blanc de blancs from 100% Chardonnay.
• Les Perles d'Amorine: a rosé d'assemblage, demi-sec.

Visiting Venteuil

The house welcomes visitors. The estate includes a vaulted cellar dating from the 12th century. According to the Vignerons Indépendants, it is open from 10 to 12 and from 14 to 17 hours, and closed on Sunday afternoons. The same source says that groups are welcome and that English is spoken. It is worth phoning before a visit on +33 3 26 58 49 35. The address is 6 Rue du Château, 51480 Venteuil.