Moët & Chandon Champagne House
ESTABLISHED
OWNERSHIP
ADDRESS or CELLAR DOOR
20 Avenue de Champagne, 21200, Epernay, France
While founded in 1743, they still claim to be first house in Champagne. Jean Remy Moet, inherited the company from his grandfather Claude Monet in 1789 and brought the brand into international prominence.
Since those days, Moet Chandon have continued to scale while embracing innovation and using efficient precision to refine their style over the last century. The wine-making process is highly automated, with their new Mont Aigu facility featuring some of the most advanced technology in all of the Champagne region.
The immense size of their operations and the strength of brand is unavoidable no matter where you travel in the world. In most wine shops or liquor stores you would be hard-pressed not to be able to buy one of their bottles of NV.
Moet Chandon is the biggest Champagne brand in the world. Is the biggest the best? Read more to find out.
FRUIT SOURCED FROM
Between the brands of Moet Chandon, Dom Perignon and Mercier, 1180 hectares are estate wines (roughly 20%) of the total 5000 hectares that LVHM presses. Of their estate owned vineyards, over half are Grand Cru and a quarter Premier Cru.
Moet Chandon source grapes from so many different vineyards and areas that it makes no sense to list them here. What you need to know if that diversity of fruit sourcing means they are able to control blending in a way that ensures a consistent taste profile from year to year.
CHEF DE CAVE
Benoît Gouez
FAMOUS FOR
Being the biggest house in Champagne and the most notable wine brand in the LVMH group.
GENERAL WINE-MAKING PROCESS
After the grapes have been picked, no human hand will touch the product until distribution and consumption. 80 tankers deliver juices from the press houses in the various villages. These tankers have oxidisation prevention measures in place as they make their way to the fermentation facility.
The whole fermentation process is computer monitored in stainless steel tanks and all Moet Chandon Champagne undergoes full malolactic fermentation. From start to finish, there are strict computer-controlled systems which monitor and adjust the ferment to perfect consistency.
GENERAL WINE-MAKING STYLE
The main NV has become fresher and less sweet over time featuring a current 9g/L dosage which is reasonably low for such a popular wine. The style is technically described as, “purposely reductive, vigorously avoiding oxidation and religiously avoiding oak” (Tyson Stelzer 2015).
PRODUCTION PER YEAR
Estimated annual production of over 38 million bottles between the brands of Moet Chandon, Dom Perignon and Mercier. Exact figures are not published and measuring annual production would give an inaccurate bottling figure due to the ageing process but we can estimate that roughly 20 million bottles of their flagship NV are sold each year.
INTERESTING FACT
After the grapes are picked the rest of the whole process does not touch a human hand again until the bottles are stocked on the shelves of your local wine store such is the computer controlled automation in their production process.
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