Musical chairs in Champagne

Gert Crum (Twitter and Facebook.)
Publicatie: June 2nd 2020

Recent months in Champagne have been like a game of musical chairs with cellar masters (chefs de caves).

Dominique Demarville

It started with the announcement by Dominique Demarville that he would stop working as chef de caves at Veuve Clicquot and that he would take up the same position at Laurent-Perrier in 2020.

Demarville started in 2006 (succeeding Jacques Péters) as chef de caves at Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin. In the 13 years he released, among others, the new cuvée Extra Brut Extra Old and he carefully changed (and at the same time revolutionised) the blend of La Grande Dame. The superior La Grande Dame 2008 has 92 percent pinot noir! (8 percent chardonnay) from the finest crus. None of the wines in this 2008’s blend have seen wood, so it is an incredibly pure champagne.

A champagne with a great future.

Veuve Clicquot found a successor to Dominique Demarville in the person of Didier Mariotti, who was chef de caves at GH Mumm for 13 years.

So Mumm also had to look for a replacement and found him at Henriot. Laurent Fresnet, chef de caves at Henriot, again for 13 years, has already worked in that position at Mumm for several months now

Alice Tétienne

Henriot in turn found a successor for Fresnet in the technical team of Krug. As of April 1, Alice Tétienne, only 31 years old, is Henriot’s new chef de caves. So until recently she worked at rue Coquebert 5, and now her place is at rue Coquebert 81.

In the meantime, a changing of the guard has also taken place at Krug itself. Chef de caves Eric Lebel was succeeded about six months ago by Julie Cavil, who worked alongside him for many years.

This clearly shows how quickly a book can age. However, all these transfers (and others) will come back in the next update of the interactive digital iBooks version of ‘Champagne – The Future Uncorked’.

Alice Tétienne

Champagne, the future uncorked

“The hardcover edition is truly stunningly beautiful and complete.”
– – –
“Digipublishers delivers an excellent job keeping the iBook up to date.”
– – –
“The detailed maps are what sets them apart as well.”