Jolyon Webber pops the lid on this family-run champagne maker’s heritage
Cattier, vineyard owners since 1763 throughout 11 generations, have been producing champagne in the village of Chigney les Roses, situated in the Montagne de Reims region between Reims and Epernay, under the family name since 1918. One of only 10 family-run and owned houses still in operation, in part it’s this heritage that so impresses modern champagne consumers.
Philippe Bienvenu, Head of Marketing, says there has been a change in attitude over the past few decades. “Since the 1980s there’s been a sort of evolution in the consumption of champagne – consumers want to know more now. People are more and more interested in production and not just concerned with a name. They want to know what’s behind a name. It’s a positive trend for houses like ours.”
And it’s a positive for those of us who enjoy drinking their excellent product, whatever the occasion. To Bienvenu it’s certainly still a pleasure – “I have the great honour of drinking it every day and I never tire of it. On special occasions my wife and I will always have a champagne breakfast, and, I can tell you, we do that a lot!”
