Once vocal in opposing the inclusion of disgorgement date on back labels, AR Lenoble, a four-generation family-owned Champagne house, has shifted its stance. Following the handover of ownership and key management, what elements of this storied house—boasting a century of history—remain unchanged?
Established in 1920 by Armand-Raphaël, AR Lenoble is named after his initials and has been operated by the Malassagne family for four generations. With 35 hectares of vineyards, half of which estate owned, the winery maintains a small production of around 300,000 bottles per year, ensuring a focus on quality.
Acquired by FG Bros last year, AR Lenoble welcomed its new CEO, Guillaume Truchot, in November 2023. The new leader shared his vision for the house and its plans for Asia with Vino Joy News last week.
Transitions and Traditions
Since 2023, the independent family-owned Champagne house has undergone a series of personnel changes. In April 2023, the then-owners of AR Lenoble, Anne and Antoine Malassagne, decided to transfer the house to Ségolène Gallienne from the Frère-Galienne family, which also owns the famed Château Cheval Blanc in Saint Emilion.
Later, in November 2023, Guillaume Truchot, a veteran in wines and spirits with over 20 years of experience, was appointed the CEO and Managing Director of AR Lenoble. Truchot has a background with Rémy-Cointreau and Champagne Laurent Perrier in France, and he also has experience in Asian distribution, having worked in Singapore for Moët Hennessy Diageo and Sarment.
In early 2024, Julien Lardy, an oenologist who worked for the Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne group and Nicolas Feuillatte, became the new Cellar Master of AR Lenoble.
Despite the change in ownership and management team, the Champagne house continues to position itself as a boutique producer and remains committed to its winemaking philosophy. The house sources 50% of its production from its own estate-grown grapes, higher than most medium-sized Champagne producers, according to Truchot.
“For us, a good wine can only start from good grapes, and good grapes can only be produced thanks to good soil on the good viticulture of the soil, treatment of the soils, which has to be very sustainable,” Truchot explained regarding the importance of self-grown grapes.
The long aging process is another key winemaking philosophy of AR Lenoble that remains unchanged. For an entry-level bottle, a minimum of seven years of aging is required, utilizing a perpetual reserve created in 2000. The house spends four years on micro-oxygenation of the reserve wines in a magnum size bottle before the final blending, then puts the wine back in the cellar for an additional three years.
“Even with a new ownership, we want to capitalize on the excellent base that we have, take it forward as much as possible in terms of precision,” Truchot points out, emphasizing that the aging process is crucial for preserving the “richness and personality” of a wine.
In the pursuit of quality and precision, AR Lenoble will not go beyond the 300,000 bottles limit of annual production, Truchot says. “This reserve wine process, the aging of the reserve wine in magnum, is actually complicated and labor intensive. We cannot raise the quantities too high.”
Disgorgement Dates: Respond to Customers
In 2016, when the trend of inclusion of disgorgement dates on Champagne started, AR Lenoble publicly opposed this practice, as the Malassagnes believed that it was a detail that was not important for most customers.
“The recent obsession with disgorgement dates is reducing the winemaking process in Champagne to insignificant numbers, which are not understood by most of the people talking about them,” Antoine Malassagne told the media at the time, “There is no ideal disgorgement date; it depends on the specific wine in question.”
However, the house’s stance has since changed with the new team, having observed a more knowledgeable customer base.
“Now the consumers are requesting very transparent information. They want to know, first, because they are more knowledgeable; and second, because they are curious and they want to know what they are drinking,” Truchot said, “We will work on making this information available for customers.”
As Truchot described, the target customers of AR Lenoble are wine lovers who have developed a deep understanding of Champagne and can distinguish the personalities of different wines. The focus on mature consumers with more niche preferences also informs the house’s strategy in Asia, which targets developed markets only.
AR Lenoble in Asia
AR Lenoble’s primary market is domestic in France, which accounts for half of its production, while Asia represents only 10% of the house’s exports. The main export markets for the house are traditional wine-consumption countries, such as the UK, the US, Belgium, and Italy. In Asia, the primary focus is on more mature markets like Japan and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, its wines are imported exclusively by Links Concept.
Regarding the large market of mainland China, the house is currently focusing exclusively on major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. Despite the substantial population base, Truchot believes it will take time to educate the market about Champagne and develop customers in regions outside these key urban centers.
For Thailand, a market that’s been garnering a lot of attention lately for its substantial removal of wine tariffs and excise cut, the veteran however remains cautious.
“We don’t do this educational job for non-consumers. The role is not for us; it is for the bigger players; they would educate the market.” Truchot said, elaborating on the house’s position as a niche Champagne house serving discerning customers.
“We don’t have enough bottles to fill the whole market. Some other winemakers will do this job, and they will do it very well. I appreciate this because they are really building the future basis for Champagne, and for brands such as us in the future.” He explains.
To enter the vast Southeast Asian market, Truchot has eyes on his former base – Singapore, a well-educated market with mature consumers. AR Leonoble as Truchot noted is looking for a partner in the market as its initial steps in expanding the Southeast Asia.
AR Lenoble will debut new labeling for its upcoming vintage at Wine Paris, taking place from February 10 to 12, 2025. The new labels will provide detailed information about the wine. The disgorgement date will be added on the label later during the 2025/2026 period.
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