Wine Wiki

champagne-suenen

4 min read

Champagne Suenen (Aurélien Suenen)

Overview

Champagne Suenen is a small grower-producer based in Cramant in the Côte des Blancs, run by Aurélien Suenen since 2009, when he took over after his father Daniel Suenen’s sudden death. Aurélien — who had been a professional basketball player (one of France’s top point guards) before necessity returned him to the family domaine — has built a reputation as one of Champagne’s finest winemakers. The domaine farms under four hectares of vines in the grand cru villages of Cramant, Chouilly, Oiry, and a small 20.7-are parcel of ungrafted Pinot Meunier in Montigny-sur-Vesle (now tended by Alexandre Chartogne of Merfy).

Farming is organic (certified 2019, though Aurélien does not use the certification on labels to allow use of pre-2019 reserve wines). Yields are roughly half of what was typical under his father. All wines are built for long-term cellaring — Gilman considers these the finest non-vintage Blanc de Blancs in Champagne today.

Appellations

  • Champagne — Côte des Blancs (Grand Cru: Cramant, Oiry, Chouilly)

Key Wines

Non-Vintage Extra Brut

  • “C + C” Blanc de Blancs — Cramant + Chouilly; ~7,000 btls + 200 magnums; 50% stainless/50% used oak; 45% reserve wines from perpetual solera dating to 2013; 4g/L dosage current; 2–3 years sur lattes
  • “Oiry” Blanc de Blancs — pure Oiry; ~1.5 hectares total; identical vinification to C+C; same perpetual reserve from 2013; 4g/L dosage current; slightly more reticent in youth

Single Vineyard Extra Brut (Vintage-Dated; 5 years sur lattes; 3g/L dosage)

  • “Les Robarts” (Cramant) — debut 2012; straddles Cramant/Avize border; 35 ares (planted 1951/1978/1984); open-top fermentation; foudre + 228L barrel; classic limestone minerality; apple and pear profile
  • “La Cocluette” (Oiry) — debut 2013; 16.5 ares of vines planted as old as 1925; raised in foudres/demi-muids (formerly partly concrete egg to 2020); most tightly structured of the single vineyards
  • “Le Mont-Aigu” (Chouilly) — debut 2013; 0.27 hectares, planted 1978; due south exposition; warmest microclimate; 100% demi-muids; most exotic profile — passion fruit, mango alongside pear/apple
  • “La Grande Vigne” (Montigny-sur-Vesle) — ungrafted Pinot Meunier (franc de pied), planted 1969; sandy soils; 68 months sur lattes; aged under natural cork; under 700 bottles; utterly distinctive

Style Notes

Aurélien Suenen’s wines are built for long cellaring — even the non-vintage bottlings are capable of 30+ years. His single vineyards should not be opened before a decade from vintage. Key stylistic evolution: dosage has increased from 1–2g/L to 3–4g/L over the years, which Gilman endorses as improving balance while maintaining the wines’ structural integrity and aging potential. The perpetual reserve soleras (dating to 2013) add maturity and complexity to the non-vintage wines.

Among the single vineyards: Les Robarts = most classically Blanc de Blancs (apple, pear, limestone). Le Mont-Aigu = most exotic (passion fruit, mango). La Cocluette = tightest in youth, slowest to blossom.

Gilman calls the Suenen wines better than virtually all other famous Côte des Blancs growers across their full lineup, including the non-vintage bottlings, which he considers “not all that far off of the quality of the single vineyard wines.”

Tasting Notes (from VFTC #119)

“Oiry” Non-Vintage:

  • Base 2021 (disgorged Nov 2024, 4g/L): 94. “Beautiful, expressive.” Drinking window: 2025–2050.
  • Base 2020 (disgorged Dec 2023, 4g/L): 94. “Finest release of this bottling I have yet tasted.” Drinking window: 2028–2060.
  • Base 2019 (disgorged Jul 2022, 3g/L): 93. “Truly exceptional non-vintage Blanc de Blancs.” Drinking window: 2023–2045+.
  • Base 2018 (disgorged Oct 2021, 3g/L): 93+. “Has started to blossom nicely.” Drinking window: 2025–2055.
  • Base 2017 (disgorged Jun 2020, 3g/L): 94. “Now in full bloom.” Drinking window: 2025–2050.

“C + C” Non-Vintage: (full notes not included in this report — covered in prior articles)

Single Vineyards:

  • 2018 “Le Mont-Aigu” (disgorged Jun 2024, 4g/L): 95. Exotic (mango, casaba melon). Drinking window: 2030–2075.
  • 2017 “Le Mont-Aigu”: 96+. “Utterly stunning young wine.” Drinking window: 2030–2075+.
  • 2016 “Le Mont-Aigu” (disgorged Jul 2022, 3g/L): 95. Most open of 2016 single vineyards. Drinking window: 2026–2060+.
  • 2015 “Le Mont-Aigu” (disgorged Oct 2021, 5g/L): 95+. Drinking window: 2027–2065.
  • 2013 “Le Mont-Aigu” (disgorged Nov 2019, 1g/L): 95. Still snappy at 12 years. Drinking window: 2025–2065.
  • 2014 “La Cocluette” (2g/L): 95. “Stunning juice.” Drinking window: 2025–2065.
  • 2013 “La Cocluette” (disgorged Nov 2019, 1g/L): 94. Debut vintage; raised partly in concrete egg. Drinking window: 2028–2065.
  • 2017 “La Grande Vigne” (ungrafted Meunier, 3g/L): 95. “Flat out delicious.” Drinking window: 2027–2065+.
  • 2016 “La Grande Vigne” (unreleased by Aurélien; disgorged Jul 2022, 3g/L): 92+. “A lovely bottle of wine in its own right” but less mid-palate depth than other vintages. Drinking window: 2023–2045+.
  • 2015 “La Grande Vigne” (3g/L): 95. Drinking window: 2025–2060.

“Les Robarts”: (Not tasted in this article — see prior VFTC Champagne articles)

My Tastings

(none yet)

Sources

  • 119 — “Aurélien Suenen’s Magical Blanc de Blancs” feature (John Gilman, September 2025)

Graph View