Location and landscape
Villenauxe-la-Grande is a commune in the Aube department in the region Champagne in Grand Est. The town lies at the outlet of the Noxe valley on the valley floor. The Noxe is a small river that flows into the Seine near Nogent-sur-Seine.
Geological subsoil
The subsoil consists of extensive chalk from the Cretaceous period, which is locally covered by several metres-thick, clay-rich deposits. Clay is plentiful in the surrounding area and was extracted there for around 150 years for the production of ceramics.
Wine-growing history
Wine-growing has been documented in Villenauxe-la-Grande since the 12th century. Until the beginning of the 19th century, it was the town’s most important activity; at that time there were around 600 hectares of vineyard area and roughly 390 winegrower families. Historical wine-growing declined in the 19th century and disappeared after the spread of phylloxera. After the area was classified within the Champagne appellation, a revival began in the 1960s and 1970s.
Wine-growing today
The vineyard areas of Villenauxe-la-Grande belong to the geographical area of the Champagne appellation. Champagne Barrat-Masson farms seven hectares ecologically, between Villenauxe-la-Grande and Bethon, of which 90 per cent is Chardonnay and 10 per cent Pinot Noir. The winery uses traditional Coquard presses, matures the wines in stainless steel, oakwood and demi-muids, and lets them ripen on the lees in the bottle for several years.
