Champagne House (A champenoise story)

Creation of Champagne Gardet

Charles Gardet founded the Champagne Gardet House in Epernay in 1895.

The first bottles created were the Brut Tradition, the Brut Réserve 1er Cru and the Brut ‘Rosé d'assemblage’. These emblematic cuvées have evolved along with the history of the company but have always been part of the Gardet Champagne range from the creation of the House to the present day.

Charles Gardet died in 1913.

Georges Gardet takes over the Champagne House

Georges Gardet (1895 - 1952), Charles' son, began his career as a vineyard manager in Mareuil-Sur-Aÿ. In the 1930s, thanks to the purchase of the Champagne De Tassigny premises, located in Chigny-Les-Roses, by Anna Madeleine (Georges' mother), Georges took over the management of this House. He thus created his own brand of Champagne "GEORGES GARDET".
In 1936, he took over the brand created by his father, Charles Gardet, in order to perpetuate the family history. His objective was to follow in his father's footsteps by continuing to offer wines of impeccable quality. He therefore relies on two precious rules in Champagne:

- A quality supply of grapes,

- The production of excellent wines.

The first wines were shipped abroad

Georges Gardet dedicates his career to the development of the family estate and export sales, particularly to England, making this the most important market at that time for Gardet Champagnes. In addition, he introduced the "sous-bois" ageing technique and produced new vintages from barrels made of wood from French forests. He died in 1952 at the age of 57.

After her husband's death, Germaine Gardet took over the management of the company with her five children. She led her family and professional life at the same time, allowing the development and growth of this family property to continue.

Passing on the Gardet story

Although sales amounted to approximately 400,000 bottles, the Gardet family no longer wished to continue the brand and the business of making Champagne. The company was sold to François LIZARDO. He relaunched the business, notably by continuing to focus on export partners and customers. In 1999, he reached the million-bottle mark and set a sales record of 1,400,000 bottles.

Champagne Gardet now produces around 1 million bottles per year, which makes it the 20th largest champagne house in terms of volume. More than half of the production is exported, mainly to Europe (Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, ...), and to Japan, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, ...

First Prestige Charles Gardet Vintage

The first vintage Cuvée Prestige Charles Gardet is born. This cuvée is made in memory of the founder and on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the creation of Champagne GARDET. This Champagne offers a new expression of the Gardet style with its blend of 2/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, its ageing period of more than fifteen years in the cellar and its alliance between balance and complexity. A brilliant testimony to the traditional know-how and a true flagship of the House of Gardet: this is a champagne that is both fresh and vinous, and dazzles with its structure.

Champagne Gardet is in the Air

Champagne Gardet has been a partner of several renowned airlines. An atypical clientele that allows the brand to take its loyal consumers all over the world:
- Crossair 1996 - 2002
- Virgin Atlantic Airways 1997 - 2002 and 2015 - 2016
- Delta Airlines 2006 and 2015 - 2016
- Japan Airlines 2014 - 2015

Creation of the Charles Gardet Rosé de Saignée

The first bottling of Charles Gardet's Rosé de Saignée, made from 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Meunier grapes, is exclusively from the Premier Cru vineyard of Chigny-les-Roses.
The Rosé de Saignée is a champagne in the image of the rose. A wine with flavours as ordered as the petals of the rose. A wine whose development is reminiscent of the blossoming of a rosebud. A range of flavours between silky and velvety, reminiscent of the caress of a rose petal.

Freshness, elegance, finesse and length are the descriptors of this cuvée.

Creation of the Selected Reserve cuvée

The first bottling of the Brut Selected Reserve, which is a 100% oak-aged wine, with all bottles numbered.

A Champagne with a unique style, thanks to its vinification in oak barrels with a perpetual reserve that began in the 1990s, Selected Reserve is a wine marked by the black grape varieties of Champagne, representative of the traditional style of the House. It is a wine with an assertive and powerful character that will delight lovers of atypical champagnes.

Construction of the new winery

The winery is the modern part of the house. It was enlarged in 2004 in order to modernise the installations (the new vats are made of stainless steel) and to have a better control of the production. This modernisation allows the quality of the champagnes to be confirmed, as the stainless steel vats bring finesse to the wines, and hygiene and work safety for the staff, thanks to the temperature control.

There are 70 vats in total with a capacity of 70 hL to 270 hL, the blending vat has a capacity of 800 hL. Underneath this vat room, a two-storey underground space has been built to extend our storage capacity, above our traditional champagne cellars.

Prieux family

In 2007, the PRIEUX Group led by Christophe PRIEUX took over the management of Champagne Gardet. The PRIEUX family has its roots in the Champagne region with a family tree dating back to the 17th century. At the beginning the family worked the land and Pierre, Christophe's grandfather, decided to leave the agricultural field shortly before the Second World War to settle in Reims. There he started a business as a gardener and then as a nurseryman which was successfully developed by his son, Jean. After studying International Business in Reims and London, Christophe joined his father and the family business in 1990, still in the tree production and plant distribution business, developing the Jardiland chain of French garden centres, the leader in France and Spain. He then decided to rely on his roots in the Champagne region to develop the most emblematic activity of his region: the production of Champagne.

In 2007, the succession of the House of Champagne Gardet in Chigny-les-Roses had to be organised and a production of almost one million bottles was added to the production of Champagne of the Prieux family which had its origin in Ludes, a neighbouring village, with the exploitation of the House of Champagne Ployez-Jacquemart.

Almost twenty years later, Christophe continues his work, the fruit of a passion for Champagne and its unique terroir in the world, with recognition in over thirty countries. He is at the service of the development of the Gardet Champagne House, with his wife Nathalie, Olivier Legendre, the General Manager and a committed team at his side. Champagne is without doubt the most perfect expression of the Champagne terroir. Through the exceptional cuvées of the Maison Gardet, Christophe Prieux proposes an illustration of his terroir roots. An elegant and refined way of sharing with his customers a certain idea of the French art of living.

The Gardet Rose of Chigny-les-Roses

Since time immemorial, a powerful link has united the rose and the champagne, the rose and the vine. Two types of plants with a strong complicity, one destined to produce the noble grain, the other to form fragrant coloured flowers. Although powdery mildew is no longer the scourge it once was, the rose has remained over the centuries the protector of vines, warning of the arrival of this disease. Historically, the Maison Gardet and the Prieux family have a very special link with the queen of flowers, the first because of its location on the Chigny terroir ... Les Roses, and the second thanks to its family history in the arboricultural field. They have preserved this history with the creation of La Perla® de Gardet, an exceptional rose, whose aesthetic and sensory qualities perfectly reflect the style of the House's champagnes. Emblematic of the relationship between the House and the queen of flowers, La Perla® de Gardet is a romantic rose with a pastel colour. The House has taken advantage of this creation to give a new aesthetic impetus both in its premises and on the labels of its champagnes. Now the symbol of the House, you can find this rose in the Gardet garden and on the Champagne boxes and, in a more subtle way, on the packaging of the cuvées.

Champagne GARDET - La Maison GARDET (005)

The Gardet Experience

This new breath of life has enabled the House to develop prestigious partnerships, such as the House of Commons in London. But also to make itself better known to the general public: Champagne Gardet welcomes visitors to the estate and develops wine tourism to live the #Gardet Experience.
Champagne Gardet offers a unique encounter on its estate where historical know-how and modern techniques are combined, around the tasting of champagnes and the visit of traditional cellars.

Certification to ISO22000

ISO22000 is an international standard for food safety. It is applicable to all organisations in the food industry. At Champagne Gardet, the application of this standard allows us to provide impeccable traceability and to control the food safety of the champagnes for all our customers. Rigour and respect for the AOC regulations are the values and commitments promoted by Stéphanie Sucheyre, oenologist and quality manager of the House.

1 Cuvée, 12 Vendanges, 120 Years of History: the 120 Years Anniversary Cuvée.

In the House cellars, oenologist Stéphanie Sucheyre, accompanied by Christophe Prieux, Olivier Legendre and Cédric Remy, are secretly bringing to the surface old magnums and bottles that have been stored there for years. Together, they select and taste 12 rare wines with unique characteristics, which will be the basis of the exceptional Cuvée Anniversaire 120 Ans. Different years and a know-how passed down from generation to generation make this wine a unique champagne, anchored in the past and definitely enigmatic. The secret is lifted on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the Champagne House, in 2015.

Creation of the Prestige Charles Gardet Blanc de Blancs

An airy champagne between purity and minerality... Because Chardonnay is an exceptional grape variety that deserves to be showcased in a prestigious case, we have decided to offer our Blanc de Blancs in an elegant transparent bottle, protected by a biodegradable prestige case. A wine in search of the perfect balance between freshness, minerality and maturity. It is a fine, pure, intense and brilliant champagne.

Artistic collaboration Champagne Gardet X Raphaël Laventure

Raphaël Laventure is a lover of the beautiful things in life, and in particular of wine. For several years now, he has been in love with Champagne, a symbol of celebration, happiness and sharing. Raphaël's starting point is the human face. Emotion is the main attribute found in each of his works, and in particular the happiness found in his movement "Born to be happy". Christophe Prieux and Olivier Legendre, both passionate about art, were immediately won over by this different vision of their Champagne. Thus, in agreement with Raphaël Laventure, three works of art were chosen for their unique character and their colours to correspond to three cuvées of the GARDET range: "HAPPY II" for the Premier Cru, "WAHOU" for the Rosé and "SENSUALITY" for the Blanc de Blancs.

Envol certification

Champagne GARDET is the first Champagne House to receive the EnVol label. The EnVol label identifies and brings together all companies, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, that are committed to reducing their impact on the environment and protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity. It is now seeing its environmental commitment rewarded, as is its quality management system.

Digital development

Digitalization is at the heart of entrepreneurial issues. The wine and spirits sector is no exception to this trend, and so in January 2020 Champagne Gardet is launching its online shop to offer a global Gardet experience, both through the reception at the estate and through the visibility offered by social networks and online sales.

Clémence Prieux joined the family adventure with her parents to develop this service.

Creation of the Brut Organic cuvée

Agricultural and wine production has an impact on the environment. In order to reason this impact, Champagne Gardet launches its first organic cuvée. Produced using organic viticulture and vinification methods, all the soul of the Champagne terroirs can be found in this Champagne. Thanks to a meticulous selection of quality grapes cultivated according to the principles of organic viticulture, this Champagne is a model of non-vintage Brut, emblematic of Champagne know-how and respectful of its terroir.

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A champenoise story