Moët & Chandon
Moët & Chandon is one of the most famous houses in the Champagne area and by far the largest. The founder of the domaine is Claude Moët, who was already active in the Champagne area since 1720.
However, 1743 is considered the founding year, simply because French law needs proof and the oldest document owned by the company, is an order book from 1743. Moët's real success began when Jean -Rémy Moët, Claude Moët's grandson, took over the company in 1792.
He became mayor of Epernay in 1802 and already had good contacts with French high society, including the Marquise de Pompadour and Napoléon Bonaparte, who became emperor in 1804. In 1832, the son of Jean-Rémy, together with Pierre-Gabriël Chandon de Briailles, became the new owners and in 1833, they changed the name of the house to “Moët & Chandon.
Today, the total area of the vineyards includes more than 1150 Ha in all 5 major areas of Champagne: "Montagne de Reims", "Vallée de la Marne", "Côte des Blancs", "Côte de Sézanne" and "Vignoble de the Aube ". They produce 11 different types of champagne, including "Impérial Brut", "Impérial Rosé Brut", "Grand Vintage Brut Millésimé", "Grand Vintage Rosé Brut Millésimé", "Moët Ice Impérial" and "MCIII Brut", all made from grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. More than 30 million bottles are sold each year and the Moët & Chandon cellars have another 120 million bottles in stock.
The “Dom Pérignon” used to be considered the “Cuvée de Prestige” of Moët & Chandon, but is now an independent brand. It takes its name from the "inventor of sparkling wine" (which is not true!). The first vintage of “Dom Pérignon” was 1921, released in 1936. Only 42 vintages (up to 2009) have been released so far. The “Dom Pérignon Rosé” is even rarer. Since the first release in 1959, only 26 vintages have hit the market, although since the 90s it has been released more often. Both examples of Dom Pérignon are wonderful wines that belong to the best of Champagne and are capable of aging for at least a decade.