Canard-Duchêne

There are stories in the world of wine that seem made for the cinema, and Maison Canard-Duchêne is a perfect example. It all began in 1859 among the vineyards of the celebrated Montagne de Reims, where the paths of Victor Canard, a skilled cooper, and Léonie Duchêne, a young woman born into a family of winegrowers, crossed. It was true love at first sight, leading to marriage and, only a few years later in 1868, to the decision to unite not only their lives but also their surnames and expertise to found their own Champagne house. At a time when the role of women in the wine world was often confined to the home, Léonie immediately took on a central role in production and tasting, bringing the innate touch of finesse that still distinguishes the Maison’s sparkling wines today. Unlike most of the great historic Champagne houses, which chose to establish their headquarters in the urban centres of Reims or Épernay, Canard-Duchêne preferred to remain surrounded by nature. The estate is located in Ludes, a charming village perched on a hillside in the heart of the Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park. Here, surrounded by a centuries-old park filled with majestic trees and actively promoting biodiversity, lie the estate’s historic underground cellars. Hand-carved directly into the chalk during the nineteenth century, they extend for six kilometres and provide the perfect temperature conditions for the slow and precious maturation of Champagne.