Champagne Pannier
Champagne house in Chateau Thierry, Vallée de la Marne.
- Village
- Chateau Thierry
- Region
- Vallée de la Marne
- Founded
- 1899
- Cuvées in the guide
- 16
Champagne Pannier is a champagne house founded in 1899 by Louis-Eugène Pannier in Dizy, close to Épernay. In 1937 production moved to Château-Thierry in the Marne Valley, where the founder's son, Gaston Pannier, converted medieval limestone quarries from the 12th century into ageing cellars. Since 1974 the house has been owned by COVAMA, a winegrowers' cooperative, and it is known for the motto "Tendre à la perfection", derived from a 14th-century archer's engraving in the cellars.
Vineyards and Grapes
The house selects grapes from top terroirs in the Marne Valley, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. The main grape varieties are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, with the blending carried out by the chef de caves Yann Munier. The vineyards have an average age of 30 years and the grapes are harvested by hand. The house produces between 500,000 and 1 million bottles a year, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
Approach and Cellars
The champagnes mature in the unique medieval stone quarries of Château-Thierry, which have a constant temperature and humidity, ideal for the long ageing process. The bottles remain on average 3 to 9 years in these cellars before reaching the market. Pannier combines these historic facilities with a modern vinification process and technology in the cooperage to embody both tradition and modernity. The champagnes are exported to some twenty countries, including Japan, the USA and Scandinavia.
Well-known Champagnes
The product line ranges from accessible brut cuvées to prestigious millésimes:
- Brut Sélection: The core cuvée, a fresh and elegant blend with notes of baked bread and fresh fruit.
- Exact Extra Brut: An almost pure, mineral-rich champagne with little sugar, suitable as an aperitif or with seafood.
- Égérie de Pannier: The prestige cuvée, available as Extra Brut Millésime and Rosé de Saignée.
- Blanc de Noirs: A cuvée made exclusively from black grapes (mainly Pinot Noir), with notes of dried fruit.
- Blanc de Blancs: A 100% Chardonnay champagne, characterised by freshness and notes of citrus and white flowers.
- Rosé: Available in various styles, including the Brut Rosé and the luxurious Rosé Velours.
Cuvées by Pannier
Importers
Pannier is imported by: Gall & Gall.
Where it is sold
Shops and wholesalers carrying Pannier: Gall & Gall, Wijnhuis.nl.
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