Vineyard Spotlight: Moët Hennessy Champagnes and Sparkling Wines

About Moët Hennessy

MOËT HENNESSY USA is the leading importer and marketer of luxury wines, spirits and champagnes in the U.S. The Moët Hennessy portfolio includes renowned brands such as: Hennessy Cognac; Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart Champagnes; Belvedere vodka; Glenmorangie and Ardbeg single malt Scotch whiskies; and fine wines, including, Cape Mentelle, Cloudy Bay, Newton Vineyard, Numanthia, Terrazas and Domaine Chandon California sparkling and still wines.

Spotlight on the Champagne & Sparkling Wines of Moët Hennessy

Champagne is the most regulated and controlled wine in the world. The Méthode Champenoise process to create this wine is labor and time intensive; combined with the specific qualities of the terroir, these winemakers create a wine unlike anything else in the world.

• AOC regulation: All rules and techniques of Champagne production are strictly regulated.
• Terroir: The unique topography and climate of the Champagne region is one of the most challenging in the wine world.
• Scarcity: The Champagne production zone is a small growing region (0.4% of global vineyard).
• Diversity: The blend has between 30 and 100 wines, taken from multiple vintages and crus.
• Complexity: The maturation time on lees is minimum 15 months for non-vintage wines, and 3 years for vintage wines.

Only three grape varieties are used to make Champagne, which can be included in any proportion and combination but offer different styles. Blanc de Noirs refers to Champagne made only from Pinot Noir and/or Meunier grapes. Blanc de Blancs refers to Champagne made only from Chardonnay grapes. Chardonnay supplies a freshness while Pinot Noir provides structure and Pinot Meunier lends to the fruitiness of the wine.

Moët & Chandon

The legendary Moët & Chandon is celebrating 270+ years as the world’s most loved champagne. For over a quarter of a millennium, the renowned French winemaker has been sharing the magic of champagne across the globe. Every glass overflows with the House’s hallmark values of history, generosity, savoir-faire, success, boldness and elegance—values still at the heart of its global appeal.

Moët has been entertaining the world with the sparkle of success and glamour ever since the House was founded in 1743 by Claude Moët. Celebrating life's triumphant moments with elegance, extraversion and sensory pleasure is the essence of who they are. "From Napoleon's conquests to royal weddings from Hollywood's most dazzling event, the Oscars, to its most exclusive private parties, we are devoted to honoring accomplishment. As we were there for important occasions in history, we're there for your important occasions today."

Pick up a bottle of Moét & Chandon Brut Imperial online!

Dom Pérignon

During the 17th century, when the so-called golden rays of Louis XIV (the Sun King) illuminated the French court, Dom Pierre Pérignon (1638-1715), a Benedictine monk and the monastery cellar master at Hautvillers Abbey, was using the quiet time reserved for prayer and reflection to develop a wine whose extraordinary quality made him one of the great visionaries of the winemaking world. Today, Dom Pérignon's spirit and legacy live on in the silence and stones of Hautvillers Abbey, inspiring the generations of winemakers who follow in his footsteps.

Dom Pérignon is truly vintage champagne only as each vintage wine is created from the finest grapes grown in one single year. Reinventing itself by interpreting the unique character of the seasons, daring not to release a vintage if the harvest does not meet its ideal. After at least eight years of elaboration in the cellars, the wine then embodies the perfect balance of Dom Pérignon, its greatest promise. Made from only the best grapes, Dom Pérignon's commitment to vintages is absolute.

Pick up a bottle of Dom Pérignon online!

Veuve Clicquot

Founded in 1772, Veuve Clicquot is synonymous with the art of living. The House style distinguishes itself through the dominance of Pinot Noir which gives strength, complexity and elegance to their wines.

True to their heritage, the House is proud of its motto: "Only one quality, the finest." In its history there have been only 10 Cellar Masters at Veuve Clicquot, which has resulted in a neverending quest for quality and has ensured the continuity of the Veuve Clicquot style: strength and complexity. Veuve Clicquot prides itself on excellence and quality.

Pick up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut Rose online!

Ruinart

Benedictine Monk Dom Ruinart was attending the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, near Paris, in the late 1600s. Time near the city exposed him to a new and popular "wine with bubbles." Throughout his life, he returned to his brother's home in Champagne where he passed on his conviction that this "wine with bubbles" had a promising future. In 1729, twenty years after his uncle's death, Nicolas Ruinart founded Maison Ruinart and recorded the first ledger detailing the production of this "wine with bubbles" and thus Maison Ruinart became the first established Champagne House.

Chardonnay is the very soul of Ruinart. The grape, mainly harvested from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims terroirs, is at the heart of all their cuvées. With its fresh aromas, vivacity, purity and luminosity, Chardonnay is the essence of all their cuvées. This delicate, fragile Chardonnay will only display the full breadth of its aromatic richness after a slow maturation in the coolness of the Crayères (the chalk cellars on the estate): up to 3 years for non-vintage wines, and 9 to 10 years for a Dom Ruinart.

Pick up a bottle of Riunart Blanc online!

Krug

Since 1843, six generations of the Krug family have been creating the finest and rarest Champagnes. The flagship of Krug, Krug Grande Cuvée, takes over 20 years to craft. Krug has remained a Champagne House on a human scale, preserving its savoir-faire and defending its unparalleled quality by choosing to offer a limited number of bottles. By overturning conventions and establishing its own rules, Krug divulges all the exuberance and expression of its Champagnes. Making Krug Champagnes arises from a long, painstaking and very human process — an art.

Depending on the talents and intuitions of a precious few, Krug's obsessive approach to details is the key characteristic of its savoir-faire which is based on three principles: the individual selection of the plots and the careful following of each wine; the art of blending and the creation of Champagnes by Krug’s Chef de Caves Eric Lebel and the Tasting Committee, and; the essential mastering of time, stretched to an unfashionably slow pace.

Pick up a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvee Brut online!

Chandon

A true California sparkling wine pioneer, Chandon was founded in 1973 by Moët & Chandon. Every bottle of the sparkling wine expresses their French heritage and innovative American spirit. Chandon's vibrant sparkling wines enliven all occasions.

From the vineyards to the wine in the glass, Domaine Chandon marries the best of French tradition with new world innovation. In the style of Old World apprenticeships, their California-based winemakers have honed their craft with
the winery’s founders who brought proprietary yeast strains from France and knowledge of the art of blending.

Pick up a bottle of Chandon Brut online!

When it comes to wine, Haskell's always offers great deals on some of the best! If you're looking for more information, check out our full Guide to Champagne.