Chartogne-Taillet is headquartered in Merfy, a village located in the northern part of the Montagne de Reims, where its vineyards have sat on the gentle, south-facing slopes of the Massif de Saint-Thierry since the early Middle Ages. While the Taillet family history of winegrowing in Merfy dates back to 1683, the Chartognes arrived in 1870 and later founded Champagne Chartogne-Taillet in 1920 when the families joined in matrimony. Today, the House cultivates over 11ha of vines across the villages of Merfy, Chenay and Saint-Thierry, where vineyards are planted to four varieties (Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Meunier and a small amount of Arbanne), worked by hand and ploughed with horses, strictly avoiding the use of chemicals in favour of organic treatments and biodiversity.

The terroir of Merfy—deep soils comprising various sands and clays over chalk bedrock—brings a uniquely expressive resonance to the wines. It is also historically important, as the characteristic single-parcels of vines (lieux-dits) still reflect the meticulously mapped mosaic of distinctive terroirs shaped by Benedictine monks in the 7th century and expanded upon by generations of Merfy’s wine growers. The result is champagnes that are opulent but not overpowering, gently mineral and, most importantly, well-balanced and incredibly drinkable—delicious cuvées held in the same high esteem as the Merfy wines once enjoyed in the royal court in the 9th century.

After a short time working with Avize-based Anselme Selosse, Alexandre Chartogne took to the helm of the family Estate in 2006 at just 23 years of age. As the only grower-producer in the village, Alexandre has taken it upon himself to preserve Merfy’s history, reinvigorate its reputation and perpetuate its legacy through a careful, respectful approach in both the vineyard and the winery. In the cellar, parcels are vinified separately with indigenous yeasts, primarily in oak barrels, stainless-steel tanks or concrete eggs. Base wines are aged for 9 months after undergoing malolactic fermentation, and dosage is kept low. The non-vintage blend of Cuvée Sainte Anne is assembled from several diverse plots in Merfy and Saint-Thierry, offering a spectacular introduction to the heart of the region and the Estate’s philosophy, while Le Rosé is a champagne rosé that stands apart from the Chartogne-Taillet repertoire, requiring more varied oenological work than Alexandre’s artisanal series of intensely terroir-saturated, single-vineyard cuvées.