At the beginning of 2019, we went to Paris once again, the city that fulfils our soul (and our stomachs as well!).
But this time we didn’t want to just see Paris and decided to go to a region that captivated our interest a long time ago – Champagne (why would that be???)!
We started by Épernay, at the charming Avenue de Champagne in the beautiful Venoge property!
Back in 1837, Henri-Marc de Venoge left Switzerland to settle in Champagne where he founded the Venoge & Cie with his son Joseph.
A year later, Henri-Marc eternalized a remarkable moment to the Champagne marketing, creating the first illustrated label.
After that, the house became famous for creating labels to other important references of the region, as well as for adopting the initials “cordon blue” in homage to the Venoge river and the knight’s order of Saint-Esprit, the most famous of the French monarchy.
The L’Hôtel de Venoge, Unesco World Heritage, saw its construction finished in 1900, marking the dynamism the region was going through right from the XIX century, which translated into a property with elegance and luxury perfectly mixed with the imposing street it is inserted in.
Obviously we didn’t stay in the main house, we just had the privilege of a guided tour with the most friendly of the hosts, Noé Boinard. A passionate young man, passionate for champagne, travels and life! An excellent companion to our visit where we were able to see every corner of the Venoge family history, like the first labels and the cellar where the most precious good is kept- the champagne.
We ended in the mythical Louis XV room tasting the champagnes Venoge. And what an elegant scenario to end our visit to L’Hôtel de Venoge!
Near the house there is a more recently transformed space, a building with deluxe bedrooms and an apartment, Les Suites du 33, an allusion to the door number at Avenue Champagne.
We stayed in one of the rooms.
Very similar to a luxury hotel bedroom, ours was constituted of a living room with kitchenette equipped with all you could need, from a fridge to a coffee machine. Besides this area, there was the bedroom itself, with a very comfortable bed and an elegant bathroom. The decoration of the room keeps the same elegance of the main house, but obviously less classic.
The apartment is perfect for a family trip, or a friends trip, being that it has three rooms.
Next to this building, is the L’ Écurie. A renovated space, on the former stable, is now a bar and a store.
There we had an excellent breakfast and relaxed a bit from the cold and the snow felt outside!
The problem of travelling around Europe in January is that you get a lot of cold weather!
The gardens couldn’t display all their enchantment because of all the white! But obviously snow has its charms!
And that gives us a reason to get back to Épernay and the elegant Venoge – see all its magic in the sun, during spring or autumn!
But on to the wines, the reason we are here! I’ll leave some notes about them by João:
de Venoge Cordon Blue Brut
A surprising “gamma starter”, with an excellent price/quality ratio for the region. A wine in which the Pinot Noir associates with Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, to create a slightly golden combo, of good aromatic complexity, floating between the white fruits, apple, and the buttery notes of brioche. In the mouth, the combo reveals a lot of elegance and complexity with a long bubble and creamy. It reveals a great capacity of ageing.
de Venoge Princes Blanc de Blancs
A homage created in 1864 for Princes d’Orange, that lasts until today as one of the key lines of the house Venoge. A 100% chardonnay, made with Grand cru and Premiers cru grapes, characterized by a strong minerality and crunchiness, bringing us dry and scented notes of flowers, apple and citrus. In the mouth, it keeps the freshness and the notes, allied to the usual flavours of peach jam of the chardonnay. Another keeper!
de Venoge Princes Blanc de Noirs
From the same line, the Blanc de Noirs, 100% Pinot Noir, an excellence wine, full of freshness and great aromatic richness. Very fruity on the nose, focused in fresh red fruits aromas, following the same line in the mouth, complex, with good minerality, very unique. A beautiful wine!
See you soon Champagne and de Venoge!
Thank you Noé for all the care!
Bedrooms from 215€
33 Avenue de Champagne – Épernay
+33 (0)6 75 81 08 01
adv@champagnedevenoge.com