Louise Brison

Louise Brison is a family business spanning four generations. Its namesake worked a few ares of vines around 1900, at a time when viticulture brought in very little. Today her great-granddaughter Delphine Brulez runs the house in Noë-les-Mallets, in the south of the Côte des Bar in the Aube département.

From family estate to pure vintage house

At first the family supplied the cooperative; in 1991, under Francis Brulez, they bottled their first wines under their own label. His Burgundian influences led to unusual decisions: vinification and ageing in oak barrels, and a range made up exclusively of vintage champagnes. His daughter Delphine joined the estate in 2006, after studying oenology in Dijon and agronomy in Bordeaux. Her first vintage was 2007.

Vineyards and way of working

The estate farms around 15 hectares of vines, most of them in a single block of 8 hectares. Older sources give 13 hectares, others 12 to 14 hectares. The soil is Kimmeridgian limestone marl, and the slopes face south-south-east at around 320 metres. In 2017 the conversion to organic viticulture began, and the 2020 vintage was the first certified organic one.

All the wines are vinified in oak barrels and aged on the lees. Bottle ageing lasts at least six years. The wines are bottled as Brut Nature, with no dosage.

The cuvées

• À l'Aube de la Côte des Bar: an assemblage of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, vinified and aged in oak barrels.
• Chardonnay de la Côte des Bar: a Blanc de Blancs from 100% Chardonnay, also in oak.
• Rosé de la Côte des Bar: a rosé de macération from 100% Pinot Noir.
• Pinot Noir de la Côte des Bar: a single-variety vintage champagne.

The range runs from 1997 to 2017. Falstaff scored the 2005 Millésime Brut 91 points and the Chardonnay de la Côte des Bar 2018 92 points.

Visits and tastings

The estate is at 10 Le Grand Mallet in Noë-les-Mallets. Tours and tastings are possible Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, and at weekends by appointment only. It is advisable to book by phone on +33 3 25 29 62 58.