Champagne Gardet

CHAMPAGNE — This small Champagne house was founded in 1895 by Charles Gardet in Epernay. About 30 years later, the Gardet family moved the estate to its current location in Chigny-Les-Roses, which is in the prestigious Montagne de Reims, between Reims and Epernay. In 2007, Christophe Prieux and his wife, Nathalie, purchased Champagne Gardet.

The Prieur family can trace its lineage in Champagne to the 17th Century. Christophe is happy to manage a house that produces high quality bubbles while also respecting Champagne traditions. This high standard has been recognized with some prestigious partnerships — notably the British House of Parliament chose the Gardet Brut Tradition Champagne as its official Champagne. Furthermore, in a blind tasting, the City of Paris chose that same Gardet wine as its official Champagne. This recognition is quite a feather in the family’s cap.

Gardet has 7 hectares (about 18 acres) of the Premier Cru vines near the estate in the sought-after Montagne de Reims region. The rest of the grapes are bought from known quality growers in the most prestigious areas of Champagne, including the Cote des Blancs. As a grower, Gardet is small enough to use traditional artisanal methods, but its Negociant-Manipulant status affords it the opportunity to create refined Champagnes from the best vineyards throughout the region.

One example of the family’s vision to quality is in the amount of time it ages its wines. By law, to be a non-vintage Champagne, the wine needs to age at least 15 months. But at Gardet, even their entry-level Champagnes age for at least 3 years. Furthermore, to be a vintage Champagne, the wine needs to age for a minimum of 3 years, according to the law. Again, Gardet exceeds this standard by aging its vintage Champagnes for at least 5 years. What the family sacrifices in immediate cash flow, they more than make up in quality.

There is a special stye, fragrance, maturity, and finesse in all of the Gardet Champagnes. Only after years of patient work and loving care do these wines earn the right to bear the noble name of “Champagne Gardet”.