Thierry Houry Baronette Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne

CHAMPAGNE THIERRY HOURY

Ambonnay is among the most coveted addresses in the whole of Champagne — one of just seventeen villages to carry the full Grand Cru classification, rated at 100% on the échelle des crus. It is here, on the chalk slopes of the Montagne de Reims, that the Houry family has quietly tended its 2 hectares of vines to produce Champagnes of rare terroir precision.

A micro-House at the heart of Grand Cru Ambonnay

The village of Ambonnay sits on the southern flank of the Montagne de Reims, within the Marne département, and has long been regarded as one of Champagne's most distinguished terroirs. Its 100% Grand Cru status is not a marketing designation but a formal classification under the appellation's échelle des crus, placing it alongside villages such as Aÿ, Bouzy, and Verzenay in the very highest tier. The chalk subsoils here — deep, well-drained, and mineral — are the foundation upon which Ambonnay's reputation rests, lending wines a distinctive tension and a fine, persistent bead.

A multigenerational family holding

Champagne Thierry Houry is a genuinely small-scale, family-run House. With just 2 hectares under vine, this is viticulture at an intimate scale, where every parcel is known and tended with care. The Houry family has passed its knowledge of this terroir across several generations, maintaining the independence and focus of a true vigneron rather than adopting the volume-driven logic of the grandes maisons. The two principal grape varieties of the Champagne appellation — Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — are both cultivated here, reflecting the complementary character of Ambonnay's soils and the family's commitment to expressing the full range of the village's potential.

Chalk soils and Grand Cru character

The chalk (craie) beneath Ambonnay's vineyards is the defining geological feature of this terroir. Acting as both a natural reservoir of moisture and a reflector of heat, chalk gives Champagne its characteristic freshness and mineral backbone. At 2 hectares, the Houry holding is small enough that the family retains close oversight of every vine, a scale that is increasingly rare in a region where consolidation has accelerated in recent decades. It is worth noting that, according to local sources, the estate may have ceased independent vinification from 2022 onwards, with production linked to a négociant partner — a development we continue to monitor closely.

The wines of Champagne Thierry Houry

The House produces exclusively sparkling wines under the Champagne appellation, drawing on its Grand Cru Ambonnay parcels:

• Blanc de Noirs / Pinot Noir-led cuvées — structured, vinous Champagnes reflecting the power and depth for which Ambonnay's Pinot Noir is celebrated
• Chardonnay-led or blended cuvées — bringing freshness, citrus lift, and fine chalk minerality to the assemblage

All wines carry the Grand Cru Ambonnay designation, a guarantee of origin from one of the appellation's most prestigious communes.

Why we have selected Champagne Thierry Houry

At Halles Quercamps, we have always favoured grower Champagnes that speak clearly of where they come from. Champagne Thierry Houry offers precisely that: a genuine Grand Cru address, chalk soils of the first order, and a family approach that prioritises terroir expression over volume. The 2-hectare scale means these wines are produced in limited quantities, with a traceability and a sense of place that larger Houses simply cannot replicate.

We recommend these Champagnes to enthusiasts who have moved beyond the grandes marques and are seeking wines with a defined origin and a vigneron's sensibility. They are equally well suited to the table as to the aperitif: try a Pinot Noir-led cuvée alongside roast guinea fowl or a mature Comté, or a Chardonnay-inflected bottle with native oysters or a fine fish terrine.

Explore all wines from Champagne Thierry Houry

Browse our full selection of Champagne Thierry Houry cuvées — Grand Cru Ambonnay grower Champagnes available to order — in the listing below.