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The Women of Champagne between past and present

Linked from the childhood to the world of viticulture thanks to family businesses or entrepreneurs who approach the sector at a later time, Champagne owes part of its success to many enterprising women, who from the very beginning have challenged a purely male and no prone to change world.
Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin known as Madame Clicquot, Lily Bollinger of the Maison Bollinger, Jeanne Alexandrine Mélin widow of Pommery, Apolline Henriot of the Maison Henriot and Mathilde Emilie Laurent-Perrier of the namesake Maison, are just some of the Champagne women who have triumphantly led their companies, elevating them to successful brands on the market.

From the past to the present, it is a succession of women who continue to make the history of Champagne; not only producers, but also expert figures who have conquered their role by revolutionizing the sector.
The new chef de cave of Perrier-Jouët is Séverine Frerson, while Julie Cavil has been chef de cave of Krug since 2020. In the Maison Jacquart the role has been entrusted to Joëlle Weiss for some years, while at Henriot we find Floriane Eznack.

Champagne is a women's issue - a story of six Vigneronnes

To celebrate the 8th of March, which is the international day dedicated to women, we want to share the story of six Vigneronnes (we show you only a few of our favourites, but there are many others) who have distinguished themselves with their work, passion and intuition in the management of their companies, generation after generation, preserving continuity with an eye to the future, especially in terms of sustainability.

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Elise Dechannes

Born in a Champagne winegrowing family, Elise Dechannes, after a degree at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Reims and a brilliant career started in the banking sector, in 2008 decided to quit her job to pursue her dream, which is to dedicate herself to the management of the family property in Les Riceys, in the Aube Department. Elise Dechannes today manages her 4.5 hectares of vineyards adopting a sustainable and responsible approach: in 2015 she began the conversion to organic farming and subsequently to biodynamic agriculture. In the cellar, vinification is done with the use of indigenous yeasts and the use of sulphites is limited to a minimum. Her Champagnes are in her image and likeness: refined, elegant and subtle.

Our advice: Champagne Brut Nature Essentielle Nature 2019, Elise Dechannes

Hélène Beaugrand

On the Montgueux hill, 10 km far from Troyes, in the Aube, stands Domaine Beaugrand, owned by the Beaugrands for six generations and still managed by the family today, including Hélène Beaugrand, winemaker, and her brother Arnaud. Hélène Beaugrand inherited 3 hectares of the family Domaine and, with great determination, embarked on her own path by producing her first cuvées all of which developed by her, with the support of her son Cédric. The vineyards of the property are mainly planted with Chardonnay with an average age of 45 years, with a south / south-east exposure and clayey-limestone soil. This exclusive terroir produces fruity, fresh and uniquely elegant Chardonnays. Hélène Beaugrand prefers a sustainable approach both in the vineyard and in the cellar, avoiding the use of herbicides and pesticides in favor of grassing, and using selected organic yeasts. The annual production is around 25,000 bottles.

Our advice: Champagne Extra Brut Derrière La Cabane, Hèlène Beaugrand

mathile_savoye_carol_haudot_champagne_selezione-1.jpgMathilde Savoye

Mathilde Savoye is a young winemaker daughter of Champagne winemakers. In 2017, in La Neuville-aux-Larris, municipality of the Vallée de la Marne, she founded her own winery in her name (Savoye Et Filles), which she manages personally, mainly cultivating Meunier, the favorite vine of the area. Enterprising and determined, Mathilde moved away from usual farming practices by adopting sustainable production practices and traditional methods, including the abandonment of herbicides and the use of the plough.

Our advice: Champagne Extra Brut Blanc De Meunier, Mathilde Savoye

Carole Haudot

Domaine Haudot, in Vitry-en-Perthois, in the Côte des Blancs, is managed by Carole Haudot, who inherited the family business from her father Charles, a Vigneron for almost 40 years, from whom she acquired the heritage of viticultural knowledge. Graduated in Agricultural Engineering and Oenology, Carole, after various work experiences in the sector in Italy and New Zealand, takes over the family vineyard in 2017 and creates her first Champagne in her name in 2021, with a production of around 7,800 bottles. The vineyards are all planted with Chardonnay.

Our advice: Champagne Extra Brut Blanc De Blancs, Carole Haudot falmet_la_rogerie_brut_nature_grand_cru_champagne-1.jpgNathalie Falmet

Nathalie Falmet , after studying chemistry in Paris and obtaining a degree in enology in Reims in 1993 (she was one of the first women in Champagne to obtain a degree in oenology), takes over the family business located in the village of Rouvres les Vignes, in the Côte des Bar. Today she manages about 4 hectares of vineyard on the clay and limestone soils of the upper Kimmeridian with integrated farming methods, with the aims to give to the wine all its dimension of singularity and exception. Nathalie's is a small production, her Champagnes play on balance, power, elegance and the expression of their terroir.

Our advice: Champagne Brut Nature, Nathalie Falmet

Domaine la Rogerie - Justine Boxler

Domaine la Rogerie, owned by the Petit Boxler Family, was founded in Avize in 2016 by Justine Boxler and François Petit, both coming from Vigneron families: the Boxlers in Alsace, and the Petits in Champagne. The vineyards were planted in the 1950s and are located in the historic heart of the Côte des Blancs: Avize and Cramant, both villages classified as Grand Cru. Their first Cuvée, result of the 2012 harvest, bears the name "La Grande Vie", a reflection of Justine and François strong passion and sensitivity to be part of a unique terroir. They have started a path of continuous growth with the aim of producing authentic and identified Champagnes, a reflection of healthy vineyards and of exceptional quality. In the vineyard, sustainable viticulture is practiced without the use of herbicides, to recreate biodiversity and further strengthen the structure of the land and the old vines.

Our advice: Champagne Extra Brut La Grande Vie R17, Domaine la Rogerie


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