Elite Traveler Fall 2023

elite traveler FALL2023 117

Fromtop Moët & Chandon’s vineyards; Pommery’s crayères; Champagne Pommery

Fromtop Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa’s indoor pool; La Caserne Chanzy has spectacular views of Reims Cathedral

HOUSE STYLE

MOËT & CHANDON Moët & Chandon not only holds the title of the fi rst champagne house on Épernay’s Avenue de Champagne, but it now also has the largest cellars in Champagne, stretching 17 miles underground. Tours take you through the tunnels where Napoleon Bonaparte once walked before a tasting of the world-famous Moët Impérial, created in 1869 as a nod to the self-proclaimed emperor. For something special, book the more exclusive tasting of Grand Vintage champagnes to enjoy two vintages from the Moët vineyards in your own private tasting lounge. moet.com POMMERY The duck-egg blue domaine of Champagne Pommery might giveo ff Disney princess vibes, but the Victorian architecture and typically English color were all part of Madame Pommery’s smart plan to appeal to the champagne-loving British aristocracy. It’s just as colorful down in the crayères (chalk caves), where you’ll fi ndan ever-rotating contemporary art exhibition that pays homage to the formidable Mme Pommery’s love of art, as well as 19th-century bas-reliefs that were sculpted by candlelight into the chalk. champagnepommery.com

LELARGE-PUGEOT This grower champagne house — which works with chefs like Dominique Crenn — is one of the few champagne houses in the region to be approved by Demeter for its biodynamic wines. The domaine has been championing a more natural and sustainable way of working since it stopped using herbicides in 2000, and has been biodynamic since 2014. Lelarge-Pugeot grows mostly Pinot Meunier — a selection of the oldest vines date back to 1936 — but make sure to also try the Chardonnay, grown here in clay rather than chalk soil. champagnelelarge-pugeot. com LACOURTE-GODBILLON After corporate career stints, Géraldine Lacourte and her husband Richard Desvignes spent one year retraining in wine to take over Lacourte Godbillon from Géraldine’s parents in 2006. The husband-and-wife team stopped using herbicides in 2010, became fully independent in 2012, and has been biodynamic since 2022. The village’s sandy soil creates a lighter pinot noir that is beautifully expressed in the signature Terroirs d’Écueil and a selection of 100% pinot noirs. champagne-lacourte godbillon.com

LARMANDIER-BERNIER Like Géraldine and Richard of Lacourte-Godbillon, Arthur Larmandier also made a career change to take over the family business, swapping Chanel for champagne. He now continues the work his father started in the ’80s when he decided to stop using herbicides (a revolutionary move at the time), and the house has been certi fi ed organic since 2003. The Larmarmandier family also pushes its grapes to maximum maturity and leaves wines for slightly longer than usual in oak, playing around with di ff erent size barrels to achieve di ff erent levels of oxidation. dramatically opening a bottle of champagne with a saber — is undeniably the coolest of party tricks. Learn how to do it with champagne ambassador Laura Villanueva. The California native moved to Reims in 2021 to pursue her champagne education and now o ff ers sabrage lessons right in front of larmandier.fr SABRAGE Sabrage — the art of

Reims Cathedral. Laura will provide the bottle, and all you have to do — once it’s opened, of course — is enjoy it. Follow her on Instagram @travelandchampagne or email info@travelandchampagne. com to book a lesson. Photos Valerio Geraci, Claire Israel, Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, Matthew Shaw, Moët & Chandon, Ciel Bleu