A lot of bottle

A blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern marketing has struck Champagne gold.

As far as most people are concerned, there are only a few brands of champagne from which to make their choice. Though less well known houses win favour from experts, the safest bet is to choose Bollinger, Laurent-Perrier or some other famous name when choosing bubbly, especially when it is a gift.

However, there are thousands of producers of the highly-prized wine, most of them small. The 34,000 hectares of vineyards designated Champagne are divided among 12,400 estates, meaning that the average estate amounts to just 2.8 hectares, although 10 per cent of the total area of Champagne vineyards is accounted for by 48 estates.

The Cattier Champagne house, although it employs fewer than 20 people and is not one of the most well-known names, has one of the bigger holdings in the area – 31 hectares, built up over a history dating back to 1763 – not long after sparkling wine production began in the region, around Reims during the 17th century.

Based in the village of Chigny-les-Roses, Cattier is a great example of how a small company can punch above its weight by being innovative, distinctive and, above all, bold.

The family has long been prepared to expand. Current chairman Jean-Jacques Cattier admits that when the company bought a neighbour's cellar space a while ago, some people wondered how they were going to fill the space. Now, with the oldest bottles in storage dating back to before the Second World War, he says he is running out of room. Not that this is due to lack of demand. Last year, the company sold more than a million bottles of its champagne, with 56 per cent going to 65 countries around the world, including China, Congo and other more obvious markets. This figure puts the company 43rd on the list of 1,406 champagne exporters last year, it says.

Cattier Champagnes are increasingly being found on the wine lists of some of the world's leading restaurants, including some in France, the most competitive market of all, says commercial director Philippe Bienvenu.

But what is really putting the company on the map is a special edition, of which the first bottles were shipped just two years ago. Cattier is more wedded to traditional techniques than many houses, but it reserves special attention for its Armand de Brignac, a blend that was created by Mr Cattier's mother in the 1950s.

The process starts with selecting only the best chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes harvested in the company's own vineyards and bought from other growers. Once the grapes are pressed, the juice is bottled and stored in a special part of the company's cellars, which are 119 steps – more than 30m – underground, where the temperature is constantly less than 10C. While there, it is subjected to long-established, traditional techniques, including "remuage", a process for sifting out the sediment that collects in the bottlenecks, that involves turning each bottle slightly by hand every day over the course of a month.

After this has been completed, the bottles are partially frozen and the sediment is ejected in a process called "degorgement". At this stage a liqueur, made according to a secret family formula, is added.

And this is not the end. To show how special the wine is, it is transferred to metal bottles of a type originally designed by the French fashion designer André Courrèges and embossed with pewter labels, showing the ace of spades. This symbol both harks back to the company's heritage, since the ace of spades is part of the French monarchy's insignia, and also creates a brand that is memorable in countries where the name "Armand de Brignac" might be hard to pronounce.

This and lavish packaging appears to have captured the imagination of the celebrity world, with many famous names in the entertainment and sporting worlds apparently prepared to pay £250 a bottle. Indeed, the interest it has created has surprised Mr Cattier. "When I first created it, I couldn't imagine the success we are having," he says.

It is hard to say whether this level of interest will continue amid the current economic uncertainty. But Cattier has another development on the way. Having introduced a rosé version of Armand de Brignac in a pink bottle to go with the gold-bottle brut and silver-bottle Blanc de Blancs, to capitalise on the growing demand for pink champagne, it is using the exclusive grapes from a small corner of its vineyards to create an even more exclusive champagne, Armand de Brignac Clos Yons. This is due to begin shipping in about 2012.

Fittingly for a company that prides itself on its blending, it is all about mixing old-fashioned methods of production with modern marketing.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

The 50 Best beachwear

The 50 Best beachwear

The hottest summer gear for men and women
Still standing: George Galloway reveals why his staunchly Leftist outlook is still invariably right

Still standing: George Galloway

Written off, ridiculed, wrongly accused of taking bribes the honourable member for Bradford West, has never bowed to the critics.
How will Daniel Radcliffe's fans react to his latest turn - as a damaged, drug-taking Beatnik poet?

Daniel Radcliffe as drug-taking Beatnik poet

His decade as the boy wizard may be over, but that hasn't hexed Daniel Radcliffe's enchanted life.
For whom the bell tolls: £20m 'Memo' project takes shape on Dorset's Jurassic coast

'Memo' project takes shape on Dorset coast

It started as a stonemason's visionary idea – to commemorate all the species that have ever existed and are now extinct.
Just add sunshine: Bill Granger's Turkish delights

Just add sunshine: Bill Granger's Turkish delights

Turkish cuisine is perfect for those long, sociable weekend meals with friends. It's just a shame that money can't buy the key ingredient.
Objets czar: David Usborne’s collection of myriad objects is quite the mystery

Objets czar: David Usborne’s collection of myriad objects

To others, they're junk. To David Usborne, they are his life: useful gizmos, mysterious thingamajigs and anonymous articles that dominate his home.
The iron ore lady: Why the world's richest woman is mired in controversy

World's richest woman: Gina Rinehart

Family feuds, attempts to control the Australian media and bitter public disputes are keeping the mining magnate in the headlines.
We just click: How Lego keeps building on its success

How Lego keeps building on its success

This year, Lego announced record profits. Gerard Gilbert visits its Denmark HQ.
The other bits: Mark Hix creates delicious and economical meals with cheaper cuts of meat

Mark Hix cooks with cheaper cuts of meat

Our chef creates delicious and economical meals on a budget
Strokes of genius: How to create summer's bold make-up look

Strokes of genius: Summer's bold make-up

From coral lips to fly-away fringes, make-up artist Kim Brown and hair stylist Richard Scorer reveal how to create the look
Marking his territory: Kilian Hennessy creates fragrances designed to provoke the senses

Marking his territory: Kilian Hennessy

The perfumer creates fragrances designed to provoke the senses
Photo essay: Britain's 1948 Olympians today

Britain's 1948 Olympians today

Photo essay
The top five E3 2012 triumphs: From Ubisoft's suite of titles to Dishonored and The Last of Us

The top five E3 2012 triumphs

The games and moments that left us grinning like the Cheshire Cat
The green movement at 50: Can the world be saved?

Can the world be saved?

Population growth and climate change are the big problems facing the earth in the next 50 years. But are there any solutions?
France: Will xenophobia go mainstream?

France: Will xenophobia go mainstream?

In the beautiful Rhone delta, John Lichfield visits a village where a dangerous new political landscape is taking shape