Beaufort Alice
The adventurous and eccentric project of the domaine Alice Beaufort was conceived and pursued with great success by Quentin Beaufort, son of the famous Jacques of the maison André Beaufrot, a pioneer of organic and biodynamic practices in Champagne since 1971. The domaine Alice Beaufort is named after Quentin's wife and embraces the artisanal and uncompromising production philosophy inaugurated by his father. The domaine produces sparkling wines following the Champenoise method but is not located in the Champagne region, rather in Prusly-sur-Ource, in the Côte d’Or in Burgundy. For this reason, it has been referred to as “a slice of Ambonnay in high Côte d’Or” or even “a challenge to Burgundy.”
The bet of the Alice Beaufort winery is to have sensed a similarity between the mineral soils of Champagne and those of the Côte d’Or and to have embarked on a solitary, unusual, and extravagant path: that of producing sparkling wines in Burgundy. The winemaking procedures are inspired by ancient peasant traditions dating back to the 19thcentury: the fermentations take place with only indigenous yeasts and without temperature control in oak barrels, with malolactic fermentation occurring. Low quantities of sulfur dioxide are added according to an ancient system called à la romaine, which consists of burning sulfur inside the closed barrels that will contain the must. The cuvées are prepared by blending wines from a single vintage and, after the secondary fermentation, the sparkling wines remain to age on the lees for about 9 months. The disgorgement is a la volée, that is, manual, and the dosage involves the use of only concentrated grape must.
The sparkling wines produced by Alice Beaufort are named “Le petit Beaufort,” as Quentin affectionately likes to call them. They are sparkling wines with an overwhelming and very fresh drinkability, sparkling wines of great expressiveness, with an authentic, lively, mineral, and spontaneous style.
The adventurous and eccentric project of the domaine Alice Beaufort was conceived and pursued with great success by Quentin Beaufort, son of the famous Jacques of the maison André Beaufrot, a pioneer of organic and biodynamic practices in Champagne since 1971. The domaine Alice Beaufort is named after Quentin's wife and embraces the artisanal and uncompromising production philosophy inaugurated by his father. The domaine produces sparkling wines following the Champenoise method but is not located in the Champagne region, rather in Prusly-sur-Ource, in the Côte d’Or in Burgundy. For this reason, it has been referred to as “a slice of Ambonnay in high Côte d’Or” or even “a challenge to Burgundy.”
The bet of the Alice Beaufort winery is to have sensed a similarity between the mineral soils of Champagne and those of the Côte d’Or and to have embarked on a solitary, unusual, and extravagant path: that of producing sparkling wines in Burgundy. The winemaking procedures are inspired by ancient peasant traditions dating back to the 19thcentury: the fermentations take place with only indigenous yeasts and without temperature control in oak barrels, with malolactic fermentation occurring. Low quantities of sulfur dioxide are added according to an ancient system called à la romaine, which consists of burning sulfur inside the closed barrels that will contain the must. The cuvées are prepared by blending wines from a single vintage and, after the secondary fermentation, the sparkling wines remain to age on the lees for about 9 months. The disgorgement is a la volée, that is, manual, and the dosage involves the use of only concentrated grape must.
The sparkling wines produced by Alice Beaufort are named “Le petit Beaufort,” as Quentin affectionately likes to call them. They are sparkling wines with an overwhelming and very fresh drinkability, sparkling wines of great expressiveness, with an authentic, lively, mineral, and spontaneous style.
