Champagne Pommery & Greno

Champagne Pommery was founded in 1858 in Reims by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno as a wool trading business that had already begun dealing in Champagne. After Alexandre Pommery's death, his widow Madame Louise Pommery (born Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Mélin) took control and fundamentally redirected the enterprise. She acquired more than 60 interlinked Gallo-Roman chalk crayères beneath Reims, commissioning the excavation of an underground cellar system extending more than 18 kilometres and the construction of a grand Elizabethan-style mansion above. In 1874 she released Pommery Nature, the first commercially successful brut Champagne, produced with little or no dosage to achieve a genuinely dry character at a time when sweeter styles dominated the market. Madame Pommery died in 1890 and received the first state funeral accorded to a French woman, a measure of her cultural and commercial impact. The brand later passed through several owners before Vranken-Pommery acquired it from LVMH in 2002.

• Founded 1858 as a wool and Champagne trading house by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno.
• Madame Louise Pommery created Pommery Nature in 1874, establishing the brut style commercially for the first time.
• More than 60 interlinked Gallo-Roman chalk crayères became the foundation of an underground cellar network of more than 18 km.
• Madame Pommery received the first state funeral granted to a French woman upon her death in 1890.

Vranken-Pommery Monopole acquired Champagne Pommery from LVMH in 2002, securing the brand, the Reims headquarters, and the storied cellars, though the Grand Cru vineyards remained with LVMH under a long-term supply agreement covering approximately 300 hectares. The group operates across Champagne, Provence, the Camargue, and Portugal's Douro Valley. A governance evolution took effect on January 1, 2025, with Nathalie Vranken appointed CEO of the Vranken-Pommery Monopole group, supported by two Deputy CEOs, Clément Pierlot and Julien Lonneux, while Paul-François Vranken remains Chairman. Effective January 1, 2026, the group has been renamed Maison Pommery & Associés, separating from Heidsieck & Co Monopole, which was sold to Lanson-BCC for 50 million euros with transfer effective the same date.

• Vranken-Pommery acquired the brand and cellars from LVMH in 2002; Grand Cru vineyards remained LVMH property under supply agreement.
• Nathalie Vranken became CEO of the Vranken-Pommery Monopole group on January 1, 2025, supported by two Deputy CEOs, Clément Pierlot and Julien Lonneux.
• Group renamed Maison Pommery & Associés on January 1, 2026; Heidsieck & Co Monopole sold to Lanson-BCC for 50 million euros, transfer effective the same date.
• Clément Pierlot, named the 10th chef de cave of Pommery in 2017, joined Vranken-Pommery Monopole in 2004, succeeding Thierry Gasco.

Pommery sources from approximately 300 hectares of Grand Cru vineyards in Champagne under a supply agreement with LVMH, concentrated on the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. Key sites for Chardonnay include Avize and Cramant on the Côte des Blancs, while Aÿ on the Montagne de Reims provides the Pinot Noir backbone for the prestige Cuvée Louise cuvée. Within Reims itself, the house stewards Les Clos Pompadour, a 25-hectare walled single vineyard whose fruit is vinified and released exclusively in magnum format under the Clos Pompadour label. The English venture, launched under the Louis Pommery England brand, draws on the 40-hectare Pinglestone Estate in Hampshire, purchased in 2016, where vines were planted in 2017 (around 30 hectares planted). The Vranken-Pommery group's broader footprint extends across Champagne, Provence, the Camargue, and Portugal's Douro Valley.

• Approximately 300 Grand Cru hectares in Champagne supplied under LVMH agreement; key sites include Avize, Cramant, and Aÿ.
• Les Clos Pompadour: 25-hectare walled vineyard within Reims; wine released in magnum only.
• 40-hectare Pinglestone Estate in Hampshire purchased 2016, vines planted 2017 (around 30 ha planted) for Louis Pommery England sparkling wine.
• Group footprint spans Champagne, Provence, the Camargue, and Portugal's Douro Valley.

Pommery's house style is rooted in freshness, elegance, and finesse rather than richness or power, a philosophy that traces directly to Madame Pommery's 1874 decision to produce Champagne with minimal dosage. The non-vintage Brut Royal anchors the range and expresses the house's commitment to precision blending across multiple vintages. At the prestige level, Cuvée Louise is assembled exclusively from three Grand Crus: Chardonnay from Avize and Cramant on the Côte des Blancs, and Pinot Noir from Aÿ on the Montagne de Reims. The Apanage 1874 Brut cuvée was launched in 2024 to mark the 150th anniversary of the brut style. Clos Pompadour, produced from the single 25-hectare walled vineyard within the Pommery Estate in Reims, exists only in magnum. Cellar Master Clément Pierlot, the 10th to hold the position, joined the group in 2004 and has led winemaking since 2017.

• Brut style pioneered in 1874 with Pommery Nature; minimal dosage and natural elegance remain the house signature.
• Cuvée Louise composed exclusively of Avize and Cramant Chardonnay plus Aÿ Pinot Noir.
• Apanage 1874 Brut launched 2024 to mark the 150th anniversary of brut Champagne.
• Clos Pompadour: 25-hectare walled vineyard within the Pommery Estate in Reims; released in magnum format only.

Pommery occupies a singular position in Champagne history as the house that made brut Champagne commercially viable, reshaping global taste in sparkling wine. The Reims cellars, with more than 18 km of galleries carved from Gallo-Roman chalk and UNESCO World Heritage recognition, represent one of the most extraordinary winemaking environments in the world, now doubling as a destination for contemporary art through the Experience Pommery programme, which has hosted contemporary artists in the chalk pits since 2002. The house remains tied to Madame Pommery's legacy, from her 1874 release of Pommery Nature to the first French state funeral accorded to a woman upon her death in 1890. For students of WSET and related qualifications, Pommery serves as the defining case study for the development of the brut style and the role of individual vision in reshaping an entire appellation's direction. The ongoing investment in English sparkling wine and premium cuvées signals that the house continues to evolve while maintaining clear ties to its foundational innovation.

• Credited as the inventor of commercially successful brut Champagne (1874), the style now dominant in the global market.
• UNESCO World Heritage listed cellars host the Experience Pommery contemporary art programme, run in the Gallo-Roman chalk pits since 2002.
• Madame Pommery (born Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Mélin) was the first woman to receive a French state funeral upon her death in 1890.
• Premium cuvées include Cuvée Louise and Apanage 1874 Brut, the latter launched in 2024 for the 150th anniversary of brut Champagne.