Champagne Pommery is a must stop on your next trip to Reims. The house has one of the only crayéres (chalk caves) that are 30m below ground. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2015. Champagne Pommery is open for tours, tasting and visits.

History

Champagne Pommery was founded in Reims in 1836. It was founded by Alexandre-Louis Pommery who passed away leaving the house to Veuve Pommery (veuve means widow). Madame Pommery was a leader in the champagne region and has contributed to the overall history and winemaking practices of the region. Madame Pommery was a real marketing trailblazer and knew what to offer her customers to ensure success. One example is the Émile Gallé tun which hold 75,000 L or 100,000 bottles! The tun was disassembled and shipped to the US for the St Louis World Fair in 1904. Afterwards it was taken apart and shipped back to Reims where it was reassembled. The sculptor Émile Gallé was commissioned to decorate the facade. There are symbols of both America and France (including the statue of Liberty and the Cathedral of Reims).

Madame Pommery was the first to create an intricate system of the crayeres (chalk pits) as she realized it was the ideal conditions for storing champagne a constant 50 degrees Farenheit with humidity. The grand staircase leads down 116 steps and is 30 m below ground. There are 18 km of interconnected galleries that link the chalk pits to one another. As a patron of the arts, Madame Pommery had the sculptor Gustave Navlet create large scenes celebrating wine sculpted directly in the chalk. The Notre Dame Chalk Pit has a statute of the Virgin Mary that watches over the cellars. The statue spent some time in America before returning to the Pommery cellars in 1938. She is known as Notre Dame des Crayéres. The chalk pits have a different art exhibition every year and the theme changes. Different artists come to the cellars to display their works of art.

Madame Pommery is credited with the Brut Nature style which she released in 1874. She set up an international office in London as it was one of her biggest markets and was able to learn that the English preferred drier styles of champagne (unlike the Russians). The Pommery Brut Nature champagne was the first brut champagne vintage in the history of the champagne region created by the cellar master Damas Olivier. She wanted a champagne that could be enjoyed any time as the fashion was to have champagne at the end of the meal with dessert. The Brut style of champagne makes up 80-90% of every champagne houses sales. The Tête de cuvée Louise, was inspired by Madame Pommery and the first vintage was from the harvest of 1979. The Pommery tour includes a tasting of two of their champagne styles including the Brut Royal. This was an excellent tour and is not to be missed! Insider tip come early as the architecture is stunning! (I missed out as it was dark by the time I arrived). There is also a clos or walled vineyard on the grounds of the property that is worth a look at. Today the cellar master is Clement Pierlot. To learn more and to visit the Pommery cellars in Reims, click here.