Champagne Pommery

History of Champagne Pommery

The history of Champagne Pommery begins in 1836 in Reims, when Narcisse Greno and Alexandre Louis Pommery, then a wool merchant, founded the Société Pommery & Greno in 1856. Upon her husband's death in 1858, Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Pommery, a young widow of thirty-nine, took the reins of the house with a courage and vision that were revolutionary for the time. Anticipating the tastes of her clients, she created in 1874 the very first commercial Brut Champagne, audaciously breaking with the tradition of very sweet wines and establishing a new standard of quality that still defines the current Champagne style today.

A woman in a man's world, Madame Pommery stamped her Champagnes with a signature of purity and finesse that was resolutely feminine. In 1868, she embarked on the project of the century by transforming the ancient Gallo-Roman chalk cellars of the Saint-Nicaise hill into monumental caves, excavating 18 kilometres of galleries connected by a staircase of 116 steps. From 1870, she had the famous Domaine Pommery built in a unique neo-Gothic Elizabethan style, unrivalled in Champagne. After her death in 1890, her son Louis and then her grandson Melchior de Polignac continued the family legacy until 1979. Since 2002, under the direction of Paul-François Vranken and within the Vranken-Pommery Monopole group, the house has brilliantly rekindled its tradition of artistic patronage through the Expérience Pommery, a contemporary art exhibition renewed each year in its two-hundred-year-old cellars.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Champagne Pommery

The vineyard of Champagne Pommery draws its singularity from a mosaic of prestigious terroirs carefully selected throughout the Champagne region. More than 40 villages, from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs (Avize, Cramant) to the Grands Crus of the Montagne de Reims (Aÿ, Ambonnay), passing through the Vallée de la Marne, contribute to the elaboration of Pommery cuvées. This geographical diversity enables the cellar masters to play the full score of the three Champagne grape varieties — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier — magnifying the freshness, delicacy and aromatic expression typical of the house style.

At the heart of the estate, the Clos Pompadour represents a unique treasure in the world: 25 hectares of walled vineyards in the very heart of the city of Reims, within the historic grounds of the Domaine Pommery. A tribute to the famous Marquise de Pompadour, who claimed that Champagne was the only wine that left a woman beautiful after drinking, this exceptional urban vineyard gives birth to a prestigious single-plot cuvée available exclusively in magnum. The house tends its vineyard with unfailing rigour, progressively adopting sustainable viticulture practices in deep respect of the terroir and the Champagne heritage.

Vinifications of Champagne Pommery

In the cellar, Champagne Pommery brilliantly combines Champagne tradition with contemporary oenological precision. Under the direction of Clément Pierlot, the house's 10th cellar master, hand-harvested grapes are rigorously sorted before gentle pressing in traditional presses. The juices are vinified separately by cru and by grape variety, principally in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, in order to preserve the freshness, aromatic purity and delicacy characteristic of the Pommery style. The cellar master then assembles his still wines with great mastery, incorporating a significant proportion of reserve wines to guarantee the consistency of each cuvée.

After bottling and second fermentation according to the traditional Champagne method, the bottles descend to rest in the exceptional Gallo-Roman chalk cellars, 30 metres underground, where naturally stable temperature and humidity provide ideal ageing conditions. The cuvées rest there for several years, well beyond the minimum legal requirements, in order to develop aromatic complexity, bubble finesse and overall harmony. The dosage, measured and precise, is calibrated to preserve the purity and freshness that have made Pommery legendary since the invention of Brut in 1874.

The Cuvées of Champagne Pommery

Brut Royal: the true heart of the Pommery style, the Brut Royal is the house's emblematic expression. Crafted from a blend of the three Champagne grape varieties sourced from more than 40 villages, it offers a pale yellow robe with green highlights, a lively and delicate nose of citrus fruits, white flowers and small red berries, and an elegant, round and finely persistent palate with no dryness on the finish.

Brut Rosé Royal: crafted from a blend of the three grape varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier) with the addition of Champagne red wine, this delicate rosé reveals a pale pink robe with salmon hues and an ultra-fine bubble. A gourmand nose of red fruits, a supple, fresh and lively palate — this is a festive rosé with a thoroughly distinguished signature.

Apanage Brut: a more mature and rounder cuvée than the Brut Royal, the Apanage Brut was conceived for gastronomy. A blend of 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier, it delivers a dense, vinous palate with notes of ripe fruits, pastry and toasted almonds, ideal with sauced fish dishes, fine poultry or aged cheeses.

Apanage Blanc de Blancs: a pure, confidential and refined Chardonnay, the Apanage Blanc de Blancs is sourced from the finest plots of the Côte des Blancs. Crystalline tension, chalky minerality, aromas of white flowers, citrus fruits and toasted bread — this is the purest expression of Chardonnay according to Pommery.

Apanage Rosé: the rosé and gastronomic version of the Apanage range, this Champagne displays a delicate pink robe and a refined nose of small red fruits, flowers and soft spices. Vinous, long and finely structured on the palate, it accompanies white meats, red fruit desserts and fine pastries with elegance.

Apanage Demi-Sec: a more generously dosed variation from the Apanage range, this indulgent cuvée combines aromatic richness with a rounded palate. Notes of candied fruits, honey and pastry for a Champagne ideally suited to desserts, foie gras and blue-veined cheeses.

Grand Cru Millésimé: a vintage cuvée produced only in the finest years from grapes sourced exclusively from Grand Cru classified villages. A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with extended ageing, golden robe, complex nose of ripe fruits, dried fruits and brioche notes, a vinous and ample palate, built for cellaring and gastronomy.

Springtime Rosé: the 4 Seasons collection cuvée dedicated to spring, this light and fresh rosé celebrates the rebirth of nature. Crafted from a blend of one-third Chardonnay, one-third Pinot Noir and one-third Meunier with a touch of red wine, it offers a vivid pale pink robe and a particularly delicate floral and fruity bouquet.

Summertime Blanc de Blancs: the summer variation of the 4 Seasons collection, this 100% Chardonnay is sunny yet fresh and evokes summer days. Nose of citrus fruits, white flowers, peach and light honey, a chiselled, energetic and mineral palate — to be served well chilled with aperitifs, grilled fish or refined salads.

Falltime Demi-Sec: an autumnal cuvée from the 4 Seasons collection, the Falltime leans into roundness and generosity with a more pronounced dosage. Notes of candied yellow fruits, quince, honey and pastry, ideal with autumn fruit desserts, foie gras and aged cheeses.

Wintertime Blanc de Noirs: a winter cuvée of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Meunier, the Wintertime stands out for its powerful and warming structure. Golden robe, nose of ripe fruits, dark fruits, soft spices and dried fruits, a vinous and enveloping palate, perfect for festive meals and the winter table.

Cuvée Louise: created in the late 1970s as a tribute to Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Pommery, the Cuvée Louise is the prestige cuvée and the ultimate expression of the house's savoir-faire. An assemblage sourced exclusively from the three finest Grands Crus — Chardonnay from Avize and Cramant on the Côte des Blancs, Pinot Noir from Aÿ in the Montagne de Reims — it is produced in white and rosé, and sometimes as a Brut Nature. Barrel-vinified for certain plots, very long ageing, minimal dosage: this is a Champagne of absolute purity, with crystalline finesse and an exceptional aromatic signature, considered among the greatest prestige Champagnes in the world.

Les Clos Pompadour: an exceptional single-plot cuvée born to celebrate the house's 175th anniversary, Les Clos Pompadour comes exclusively from the 25 hectares of walled vineyards at the heart of the Domaine Pommery, in the very centre of Reims. Produced for the first time from the 2003 vintage, this confidential cuvée is commercialised only in magnum in just a few thousand bottles. A rare oenological treasure, it expresses the absolute singularity of a vineyard unique in the world, planted in the heart of the Champagne urban landscape.

POP Collection: heir to the Quart VP created in the 1930s by Marquis Melchior de Polignac, the POP Collection perpetuates the house's avant-garde spirit through its iconic 20 cl bottles in blue glass (POP Earth), rosé (POP Rosé) and white (POP Gold). A blend wine par excellence combining the three Champagne grape varieties, POP embodies conviviality and modernity, ideal for on-the-go aperitifs, summer celebrations and festive moments with friends.