Paul Launois Champagne: small house, big story

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Champagne has something special. Of course, it often starts with bubbles in the glass, a festive moment and maybe a small excuse to pour something a little more elegant than you would on an ordinary Tuesday evening. But the Champagnes that stay with me the longest are usually not the bottles with the biggest name or the shiniest label. They are the bottles with a real story behind them.

Paul Launois is one of those names.

Not a huge Champagne house that has been marching through the world with great fanfare for centuries, but a small, individual house from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. And if you know a little about Champagne, that village name immediately says something. Le Mesnil-sur-Oger lies in the Côte des Blancs, the heart of Chardonnay in Champagne. It is also a village of famous names and almost mythical vineyards. Krug, for example, has its world-famous Clos du Mesnil here, a walled vineyard of just 1.84 hectares in the middle of the village.

So yes, this is not just any place.

A new chapter in a family estate

The Launois family has been connected to vineyards in Champagne for generations. Still, Champagne Paul Launois is not a house that builds its whole story around a dusty founding date from a distant past. The story as we know it today actually starts much more recently, and that is exactly what I like about it.

Julien Launois worked abroad for nine years before deciding to open a new chapter in the history of the family estate. Together with his wife Sarah, he wanted to create his own Champagnes. Sarah is an artist, graphic designer and wine lover, and she created the new identity of the house. The name Paul Launois comes from their son.

That immediately makes it personal.

In 2013, Julien and Sarah bought a wine building in the heart of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. They renovated it themselves, and in 2015 their first harvest followed. From that moment, Champagne Paul Launois as we know it today began to take shape: a house where wine, art, family and independent craftsmanship come together.

And perhaps that is exactly why I feel so much sympathy for this house. It is not only technically interesting, but also human. You do not just taste Chardonnay from a famous region; you also taste the pleasure of people who dared to build something new on an existing family foundation.

Chardonnay with tension

Paul Launois is mainly about Blanc de Blancs Champagne. That means Champagne made from Chardonnay. And Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger has a signature of its own: precise, crystal-clear, chalky, fresh and often with a beautiful saline tension.

That may sound very serious straight away, but really it is mostly just delicious. Good Blanc de Blancs has something refined without becoming boring. It can be fresh and elegant, but also creamy, toasted, mineral and gastronomic. Champagne you can drink as an aperitif, but which often becomes even more beautiful at the table.

What I like about Paul Launois is that they are not trying to create just one standard style. They work with stainless steel, oak, reserve wines, low dosages and different vinification methods. As a result, every cuvée has its own character, while you still keep recognising that Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.

Champagne and whisky? Absolutely.

For our whisky customers, Paul Launois may also be interesting for another reason. Ardnamurchan uses casks from Paul Launois for a special whisky release they bring out periodically: the Ardnamurchan AD/ Paul Launois Release.

And that is less unusual than it may sound.

Within the Single Barrel project, Paul Launois works with oak casks for Champagne. Ardnamurchan then uses ex-Paul Launois Champagne casks to give their whisky extra layers. Think citrus, white fruit, salinity, subtle toast and an elegant wine-like tension. Not a gimmick, but a beautiful meeting between two worlds.

For us, that is of course extra fun. We love whisky, but we also love wine. And sometimes those worlds come together in a way that naturally makes you curious.

Four Champagnes in stock

At the moment, we have four Champagnes from Paul Launois in stock. All four have their own character, but all share that fresh, precise Blanc de Blancs foundation.

Paul Launois Monochrome #7 Blanc de Blancs may be the purest and most linear of the four. A Grand Cru Champagne from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, made from Chardonnay and bottled as Extra Brut with a very low dosage. This is Champagne for lovers of finesse, chalky minerality, fine mousse and that elegant saline character for which good Blanc de Blancs is so well known. Fresh, precise and delicious as an aperitif, but also beautiful with oysters, shellfish or sushi.

Paul Launois Composition #7 Blanc de Blancs is a little rounder and more accessible, without losing its tension. This cuvée combines freshness with ripeness and subtle fruit. Think citrus, ripe apple, white peach and a soft, silky structure. For me, this is a wonderful Champagne if you want to introduce someone to Paul Launois: refined enough for the enthusiast, but friendly enough for someone who simply wants a very beautiful glass of Champagne.

Paul Launois Illustration #5 Blanc de Blancs is the cuvée with a more outspoken character. Here, oak plays a clearer role, but in a way that suits Chardonnay from Le Mesnil. Precise, dry, mineral, lightly toasted and with lovely gastronomic tension. This is not a Champagne that only wants to be soft and easy. This is one for the table, with oysters, grilled fish, creamy sauces or dishes with umami. For those who enjoy dry, powerful and distinctive Champagne, this is a very exciting bottle.

And then there is Paul Launois Vintage 2018 Single Barrel 1806. This is the most special of the four. Within the Single Barrel project, Paul Launois creates unique Champagnes from one individual cask, with enthusiasts even able to be involved in the selection. Our Single Barrel 1806 comes from the 2018 vintage, from one specific cask, and only 168 bottles were produced. That makes this not a Champagne for “just any moment”, but a bottle for someone who loves detail, terroir, rarity and a story at the table.

Why Paul Launois is so enjoyable

What makes Paul Launois so attractive to me is the combination of elegance and courage. On the one hand, you have that classic foundation: Chardonnay, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Côte des Blancs, minerality and finesse. On the other hand, you feel that Julien and Sarah do not simply want to repeat what others are already doing. They experiment, work with oak, build on the Single Barrel project and give their Champagnes a face of their own.

And that also makes these bottles enjoyable for people who may not drink Champagne every week.

Because yes, Champagne is festive. But good Champagne is so much more than a bottle for New Year’s Eve or a wedding. It can be exciting, culinary, refined, precise, creamy, saline, playful and serious all at once.

Paul Launois shows that beautifully.

It is Champagne with a family story, an artistic touch, a generous dose of Chardonnay and a small wink to the whisky world. And honestly, as the wine lady, that makes me very happy.