Why it matters
The producer
Champagne Richard-Fliniaux operates from Aÿ, a Grand Cru village in Champagne. It is a family house with Cuvée des Signataires as its signature wine. The cuvée uses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Aÿ Grand Cru vineyards, giving the house a clear focus on the two varieties that shape its named wines.
The house works on a small scale for its signature release. Cuvée des Signataires appears in limited quantities, while Perle d'Aÿ offers another expression of the same two grape varieties with a distinct aromatic profile.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Aÿ carries Grand Cru status within Champagne's village hierarchy. Grand Cru is the highest village classification in the region, so the designation identifies the origin of the fruit on the label.
Cuvée des Signataires comes from Aÿ Grand Cru vineyards. The village name therefore sits directly beside the wine's classification, linking the bottle to a specific Champagne village rather than to the region alone.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Cuvée des Signataires uses vines averaging 40 years old. The wine is manually disgorged à la volée, a method in which the sediment collected during bottle ageing is removed by hand, and it uses a hand tied cork.
The current specification gives the cuvée four years on lees. A 2018 bottling had two and a half years on lees. Lees ageing keeps the wine in contact with yeast sediment after fermentation and can develop fuller texture and mature aromas before disgorgement.
Wines to know
The range in view
Cuvée des Signataires is the signature wine and the most limited named release, produced in approximately 500 bottles every other year. It is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Aÿ Grand Cru vineyards.
Perle d'Aÿ is an equal blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Its aromatic profile brings dried fruits, hazelnuts, almonds and pastry, giving the named range a second style alongside the longer aged Cuvée des Signataires.