Champagne Le Chapitre
A name
In France, the Church had an essential role in the creation and development of today's greatest wine regions. In the Middle Ages, the archbishop of Reims and the great abbeys of the region owned a large part of the Champagne vineyards. The monks of these abbeys, organised into Chapters, worked the vineyards of their estates rigorously and produced wines that became more and more elaborate. Whether the reasons were religious, economic or political, the objective of the monks was not productivity - they sought quality.
It is this quest for excellence which guides us still today and which is found in the bottles holding the name of the champagne called Le Chapitre.
An emblem
From the time of King Clovis in 898 and until 1825, the kings of France were crowned in Reims, at the heart of the Champagne region. The wines of Champagne were offered to the monarchs and served at royal ceremonies and feasts. They were soon enjoyed for their taste and finesse and became a symbol for excellence and rarity.
Thus, the fleur de lys which is present on our bottles symbolises the historical link between royalty and champagne.
A label
The subsoil of Champagne mostly consists of limestone, which offers both good ground drainage and water reserves. This singularity of the ground gives the vines sufficient water supply and a good balance between the grapes' acidity, sugar content and the various aromas which the future wines will reveal, including a kind of minerality specific to champagne.
The texture of the label was chosen to represent chalk, which is so characteristic of the Champagne terroir.
A terroir
In 1114, the bishop of Châlons wrote the Great Charter of Champagne, considered the founding act of the Champagne winegrowing area. He selected and listed the best terroirs of Champagne with the aim of a peaceful and prosperous development for this wine region.
The three grape varieties used for the making of our Le Chapitre champagne come from territories selected at the time of the organisation of the Chapter for the quality of their soils and vineyards.