Champagne Couvreur 'Alain Couvreur' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France NV

• WINEMAKER: Alain Couvreur

• FARMING: Viticulture raisonnée; conscientious vineyard management with manual harvesting

• VARIETY: 100% Chardonnay

• TERROIR: Grapes from the Massif de Saint-Thierry and the Vallée de la Vesle, grown on silty limestone soils—delivering saline minerality and structural elegance

• VINIFICATION & AGING: Harvested by hand and vinified using traditional Champagne methods (méthode champenoise). Aged on the lees for approximately 48 months before disgorgement

• TASTING NOTES: Pale straw-yellow with gold-green highlights. Aromas of citrus and white orchard fruit, complemented by a smoky mineral undertone. The palate is fresh and delicate, with fine, persistent perlage and a poised mouthfeel

• ALCOHOL: 12.5% 

• FOOD PAIRINGS: Ideal as both an aperitif and dinner Champagne—especially well matched with salmon, halibut, shrimp, oysters, and smoked fish

From our 2025 Q3 Champagne Collection Club Notes:

Champagne Couvreur is based in Prouilly, a small village northwest of Reims in the Massif de Saint-Thierry, a forested ridge that marks the northernmost edge of Champagne. Tucked above the Vesle River and west of the Montagne de Reims, this area doesn’t get the same spotlight as the Côte des Blancs or the Vallée de la Marne, but it has deep agricultural roots. The Couvreur family has lived and worked here for generations, tending steep hillside vineyards and making barrels before launching their own label in 1961. The terrain is rugged, the farming is tough, and the fruit they grow shows it in the best way.
The Chardonnay for this cuvée comes from Unchair, a village about 11 km from the cellar. The soils are a mix of chalk and silty limestone, and the cooler climate keeps everything crisp and bright. Today, brothers David and Rémi lead the cellar and vineyards with a hands-on, sustainable approach rooted in observation and restraint.
In the cellar, the grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed, then fermented in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation is allowed, and the wine spends close to four years on its lees before bottling with a modest dosage of six grams per liter. No oak, no flash, just texture and precision.
The wine is pretty, too, pouring light gold with green highlights and a fine, persistent mousse. The nose offers lemon oil, white peach, and a touch of smoky minerality. On the palate, it’s all citrus peel, and white orchard fruit, with a savory finish that keeps it grounded.
Pair it with paté en croute or a wedge of triple créme brie. Or keep it local with Dungeness crab and avocado, or a plate of late-summer sungold tomatoes with whipped goat cheese and olive oil. This is Champagne built for good food, good people, and warm August evenings.—Cara Patricia, DECANT Co-Founder