A & J Beaufort - Extraordinary Organic Champagnes!

(Jacques Beaufort)

Chambers Street is proud to offer the unique Champagnes of A & J Beaufort, made with organically-grown grapes from grand cru vineyards in Ambonnay, and other parcels in Polissy, in the Aube. These are complex, full-bodied wines, fermented with wild yeasts and bottled after very long sur-lie aging. "We keep our wines sur-lie as long as possible before release, so one can taste a Champagne of ten years of age with mature aromas, having conserved some traits of youth - thus, disgorgement is always recent, with the date inscribed on the label." Converted to organic agriculture in 1971, the Beauforts only became certified in 1994. "Having been among the pioneers of organic viticulture, we protested against the payment for certification - it seems paradoxical to pay to not pollute!" The Beauforts also avoid the use of copper sulfate in the vineyard, an organically-approved treatment which is harmful to soil fauna, prefering to use essential oils and homeopathic preparations of their own creation. Untreated soils, long aging, no additives/corrections and minimal (if any) use of sulfites gives wines that are unusual and quite "old-fashioned." Quoting the French review, Bettane and Desseauve: “Here is a grower out of the ordinary. With Beaufort you get not neutrality but an exalted, aromatic Pinot Noir, whether from Ambonnay or the l’Aube. The natural expression of his wines will remind older fans of the incomparable Champagne that prevailed before the adoption of industrial agriculture…”  Quantities are limited and these introductory prices are quite low given the unique quality of the wines.