Moet Chandon
Moët & Chandon / Dom Pérignon
Moët & Chandon is one of the most famous houses in the Champagne area and by far the largest as well. The founder of the domaine is Claude Moët, who was already active in the Champagne area since the 1720’s.
However, 1743 is considered the year of the foundation, simply because the French law needs documents of proof and the oldest document owned by the company, is an orderbook from 1743. The real success for Moët started when Jean-Rémy Moët, the grandson of Claude Moët, took over the company in 1792. He became mayor of Epernay in 1802 and he already had good contacts with the high society of France, including the Marquise de Pompadour and Napoléon Bonaparte, who became emperor in 1804. In 1832, Jean-Rémy’s son, together with Pierre-Gabriël Chandon de Briailles, became the new owners and in 1833, they changed the name of the house into “Moët & Chandon.
Today, the total vineyard area includes over 1150 Ha in all 5 major Champagne areas: “Montagne de Reims”, “Vallée de la Marne”, “Côte des Blancs”, “Côte de Sézanne” and “Vignoble de l’Aube”. They produce 11 different types of Champagnes, including the “Impérial Brut”, “Impérial Rosé Brut”, “Grand Vintage Brut Millésimé”, “Grand Vintage Rosé Brut Millésimé”, “Moët Ice Impérial” and the “MCIII Brut” all made from either Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. Over 30 million bottles are sold every year and the cellars of Moët & Chandon have another 120+ million bottles in stock.
The “Dom Pérignon” was considered the “Cuvée de Prestige” from Moët & Chandon, but it is now an independent brand. Named after the “inventor of sparkling wine” (which is not true!). The first vintage of “Dom Pérignon” was the 1921, released in 1936. Only 42 vintages (until the 2009) have been released so far. The “Dom Pérignon Rosé” is even more rare. Since the first release in 1959, only 26 vintages came on the market, although since the 1990’s it has been released more frequent. Both examples of Dom Pérignon are wonderful wines which belong to the best Champagne has to offer and are capable of ageing for at least a decade.
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