Champagne Producers Partners

Champagne Billecart Salmon was founded in 1818 by the couple Nicolas François Billecart, a wine merchant and Elisabeth Salmon, who was from a family of Champagne growers. This association between a businessman and a woman from the vineyard was very classic at this period of time and also very complementary. Billecart Salmon is today one of the most prestigious brands in the Champagne region. They own some vineyards in the best Premier and Grand Cru areas and have strong relationships with very qualitative growers who they buy grapes from. Billecart salmon Brut réserve and Billecart Salmon Brut Rosé are the famous flagships of the house and probably 2 of the best non vintages in the sparkling world. A La Française can bring you on tours to visit the beautiful estate of Billecart Salmon !

Champagne Dom Pérignon is produced only in special years with exceptional harvests in order to create a vintage. Dom Pérignon's cubes are the vintages of the Champagne House Moët & Chandon. But the story of Dom Pérignon is that at first this name wrote on the bottles the name of Champagne's father. Cures wear the name of the famous monk who discovered the effervescence he lived in Hautvillers a few centuries ago. Taste Champagne Dom Pérignon and visit Hautvillers with A La Française !

Pommery was founded in 1836 by Louise Pommery. The family is no longer in command and the house is now run by the Belgium entrepreneur Paul-François Vranken, who also owns Heidsieck Monopole, Demoiselle and Lafitte. Pommery is situated in Reims on top of the Butte Saint Nicaise where the Romans used to dig mines for extracting chalk to build the city in the early centuries. Pommery has set its cellars in these old galleries, going 30 meters down ! It is a perfect place to store Champagne bottles (constant temperature, no light, good humidity). These old Roman galleries are also used by prestigious neighbors like Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot and Taittinger.  A La Française often organizes visits to Pommery house, you can tell us if you want to include it in your Champagne tour !

Champagne Ruinart is one of the oldest Champagne houses and was founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart, nephew of the famous monk Dom Ruinart, who was working with Dom Perignon at Hautviller's abbey. Ruinart is now well known especially for their Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) Champagne. Ruinart is based in Reims and the cellars are connected to old roman mines in the chalk 30 meters down, perfect place to store bottles for years or decades ! The visit of Ruinart is a very beautiful tour, you can include it in your A La Française's Champagne day excursion on demand !

Located in Ay a Grand Cru Village famous in the Champagne region. Champagne Henri Giraud has a huge part of its vineyard on the Côte des Blancs to have the best Chardonnay grapes. The House also works with vines of Pinot Noir to make prestigious blends. Visit and taste Champagne Henri Giraud with A La Française !

Located in Reims, for 170 years, Champagne Krug is famous all over the world. Since 1999 this Champagne House has been owned by LVMH. Even though Champagne Krug is a part of LVMH now they still continue to produce a limited number of bottles each year in order to keep their expertise of Champagne. The number of plots used is strictly selected to bring out the best of the Champagne region's vineyard. Visit and taste Champagne Krug with A La Française !

The House was founded in 1838, by two traders from Aix la Chapelle, William Deutz and Hubert Geldermann. Maison Deutz remained a family business until 1993, when the Rouzaud family crisis (Pichon-Comtesse, Ramos Pinto, Roederer, ...) bought shares in the company. Maison Deutz has claimed its own style since its creation, combining the intensity of Pinot Noir with the finesse of Chardonnay, a style that the House has maintained for over 180 years.

Champagne Leclerc Briant is located in Epernay the capital of Champagne. The House works on 10 hectares of vines located in Premier Cru areas and the three grape varieties : Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The House Leclerc Briant works some of its Champagnes with the plot method; this means that they take only grapes from one plot to make one champagne. Visit and taste Champagne Leclerc Briant with A La Française !

Moët (pronounced Mouette in French) is a Champagne house belonging to the luxury group Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). The group also owns Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart and Mercier Champagnes. Moët is the most famous Champagne house all over the world and a must do if you come to Champagne ! They are situated in Epernay in the capital of Champagne. A La Française's team organizes Moët & Chandon visits very often, don't hesitate to ask us to include it in your Champagne day tour !

Champagne Philipponnat was founded in 1910 in Mareuil sur Ay. The house mostly owns Pinot Noir vineyards situated in Ay, Avenay Val d'Or, Mareuil sur Ay and Mutigny between Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne. They also buy grapes from beautiful growers on Côte des Blancs for the Chardonnay and other areas on Montagne de Reims for more Pinot Noir. Charles Philipponnat, descendant of the family, is brilliantly leading the house and making beautiful wines. The house belonged to the BCC group which also owns Boizel Chanoine and Lanson. A La Française favorites : Philipponnat Blanc de Noirs 2008 Visit Champagne Philipponnat in Mareuil sur Ay with A La Française's team ! You can also book a tasting at A La Française Academy if the house has no availability and we will organize a Philipponnat tasting for you ! Our estate is a few meters from theirs !

Champagne Taittinger is what we call a Champagne house or a negociant manipulant (NM). This means that this producer owns the vineyard but also buys Champagne grapes from growers (around 60% of their needs). The particularity of the house is to use a majority of Chardonnay in their blends even if it is the rarest grape in the vineyard (28%) and also the most expensive. The visit of the house is really impressive, being based around an old gallo roman chalk mine, reconverted in a beautiful champagne cellar. Still family run, the house is very popular abroad and 73% of the sales are done above the french borders.

Veuve Clicquot is one of the most sold Champagne brands in the world. Situated in Reims in the main city of the Champagne region, it was founded by Madame Clicquot, who became a widow ("veuve" in French) very early and had to run the company herself. Veuve Clicquot has its cellars on a very unique spot in Reims where Romans used to dig mines in the early centuries to extract chalk for the construction of the city. The roman galleries have been connected by the champagne house to set beautiful cellars which gives their champagnes a perfect storage condition at 30 meters deep (constant temperature, no light and good humidity). A La Française is partnered with Veuve Clicquot, don't hesitate to ask us to go for a tour in this beautiful house !

Champagne Lancelot Royer is located in Cramant on the Côte des Blancs. This a family producer. The specialty of the House is to work only with Chardonnay grapes. Moreover a huge part of their grapes come from Grand Cru villages on the Côte des Blancs. A particularity of this producer is that he is a huge exporter : 75% of his production is destined for export. Visit and taste Champagne Lancelot Royer with A La Française !