Seen from Paris, Château-Thierry, situated on the Marne, is the first town with a certain cultural significance on the way to Reims. Wine grows here since the Middle Ages. Champagne lovers know the westernmost region of Champagne mainly through a handful of dedicated winegrowers. Françoise Bedel et Fils is certainly the best known. However, many young producers such as Champagne O. Belin from Essômes-sur-Marne – very strong with the Millésime from 2018 – are currently vying for attention. But there is also exciting news from the region’s historic pioneer, Champagne Pannier. Its logo and motto – “Striving for perfection” – was derived from an archer carved into the rock in the historic cellars.
The history
Champagne Pannier actually has two stories – not unusual in Champagne. That of the founder of the name. And a second, which leads to the present day. Louis-Eugène Pannier actually founded the maison in 1899 a good 50 kilometers to the east in Dizy near Reims. In 1937, ten years after the western Marne was incorporated into the Champagne appellation, his son Gaston moved the business to Château-Thierry. There, on a hill not far from the town center, he had discovered an underground quarry that had enabled the citizens to build the town in the Middle Ages. At a depth of up to 30 meters, it was an ideal storage cellar for his champagne production! The 2.5-kilometre-long Pannier cellar differs from the other large champagne cellars in its age, its low ceilings and its less calcareous rock. Still in use today and part of a modern visitor center, it is the most spectacular cellar in all of western Champagne.
In the 1960s, the House of Pannier rented out part of the cellars to a young cooperative from Château-Thierry. This cooperative was much more dynamic than its landlords. In 1971, under the name Covama, it took over Champagne Pannier, including the cellar and wine stock, from the family’s heirs. From 1981, the cooperative decided to use Pannier as a brand for the best part of its own production. Since 1998, SA Pannier has been a separate subsidiary of Covama. After several mergers (more in my Champagne book) with other cooperatives, it now also owns the Jacquart and Montaudon brands. However, Covama’s production facility for its 5 million bottles a year is located directly behind the Pannier visitor center in Château-Thierry. 550,000 to 600,000 bottles are produced by Champagne Pannier. Interestingly, the house writes that the grapes come from a good 70 hectares, of which only a third come from the 700 hectares of the cooperative members.
A two-tier portfolio
Although Covama roots deeply in the region, the vineyard is less dominated by Pinot Meunier, the leading grape of the western Marne Valley, than one might expect. Today, the origin of Pannier’s grapes is almost evenly split between Marne, Montagnes de Reims and Côte de Blancs. Between 1981 and 2019, only one chef de cave, Philippe Dupois, was responsible for the production of Pannier Champagne. With his preference for ripe grapes, he left his mark on Pannier’s style. The Sélection (40|30|30 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, of which 30% are reserve wines), served as an aperitif, still shows the traditional soft and less precise style (86 p.). It is intended to appeal to consumers accustomed to Prosecco and sparkling wines at the entry level. Why a house like Pannier, which does not distribute in supermarkets, is so defensive is a mystery to me, especially since the group offers cheaper (and hardly weaker) cuvées with Montaudon.
In contrast, three of the top cuvées show what remarkable champagnes Pannier is capable of producing. The Velours Blanc is essentially from the 2013 vintage (Ch|PN 80 to 20) and was disgorged in 2018. It has a very mature nose with lots of honey and pastry cream. Complex autolytic aromas and good acidity balance its hedonistic texture (92 p.). The 2016 Blanc de Noirs (PN|PM 95 to 5, less than 2,000 bottles produced) is even stronger because it is fresher and more precise. On the nose, there is also a lot of brioche along with red fruits. On the palate, a soft perlage, but at the same time the impression of a wonderful, pure freshness, which ensures the most beautiful drinking flow (93 P). The non-vintage Egérie de Pannier Brut Rosé de Saignée (Ch|PN 20 to 80, mostly 2014) is unusual and expensive. The red grapes “bleed” for a good 30 hours. Again, a rich, yeasty bouquet of puff pastry and raspberry, with a delicate mousse and vinous texture. Some phenols provide enough tension (93 P.).
Ode to the Meunier
And then there were two very special cuvées. In 2021, I wrote that Pinot Meunier was the recipe for the success of Covama’s rise – but only in a cuvée. “Accordingly, there are still no single-varietal Meuniers in the house, as there are from some winegrowers in the region, even though Pannier certainly has the land and the know-how. Now I came across two bottlings called “L’Ode au Meunier”. Both are pure Pinot Meunier champagnes from a single vintage. And each from a single cru, meaning grapes from a single commune. One is Venteuil in the central Marne valley, the other Charly-sur-Marne in the far west. And both fermented in barriques, in complete contrast to the stainless steel style of the rest of the range. Both are the creations of Yann Munier, who took over from cellar master Philippe Dupois in 2019.
Munier plays with the Burgundy-inspired grower champagne philosophy here. One terroir, one grape, one vintage (here: 2019). In addition, short yeast maturation of just two years, ageing in wood and extra brut with just 3 grams of dosage per liter. And, at least that’s the impression, very little sulphur. The tasting then presents two completely different faces: Charly-sur-Marne, tasted for the first time at the Maison, shows no primary fruit and a distinctly natural wine character. The post-tasting at home deepens the impression. Vinteuil scores with ripe apple, elderberry and pastry cream, sweet, soft and creamy on the palate (91 p.). Charly-sur-Marne shows more fennel aromas than fruit notes, is more tart and significantly darker in character (90 P.).
There are only 1,500 bottles of each, but a new cru follows every year.Frédéric Feltrin, the vineyard manager at Covama, is responsible for the selection. However, Yann Munier has moved to Champagne Mumm as successor to the late Laurent Fresnet. His successor: Arnaud Van Der Voorde, the former head oenologist at Champagne Mumm – a rotation, so to speak. This not only says something about the current relationship between Grandes Marques and cooperatives. It also says that the surprising story of Pannier is far from over.
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Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
