Maison Champy

Maison Champy was founded in Beaune in 1720 by Edme Champy, who began as a tonnelier (barrel-maker) before establishing himself as a negociant trading the wines of the surrounding Cote d'Or. The 1720 date makes Champy the oldest documented Burgundy negociant house still trading, and the house is frequently described as Burgundy's first negociant-eleveur, the role of merchant who also ages and finishes the wines. The Champy family ran the house across the 18th and 19th centuries, surviving the post-Revolutionary land redistribution of the 1790s, the rise of the negociant trade through the early 19th century, and the phylloxera devastation of the late 19th century. By the late 19th century Champy ranked among the major Beaune negociants alongside Bouchard, Louis Latour, and Drouhin. The Beaune cellars in the Rue du Grenier a Sel, which the contemporary house still occupies, are among the historic merchant cellars in the city center.

• Founded in 1720 in Beaune by Edme Champy, a tonnelier (barrel-maker) turned negociant
• The oldest documented Burgundy negociant house still trading; frequently described as Burgundy's first negociant-eleveur
• Champy family ownership ran across the 18th and 19th centuries; survived Revolutionary land redistribution, the rise of negociant trade, and phylloxera
• Beaune cellars in the Rue du Grenier a Sel are among the historic merchant cellars in the city center

By the late 1980s the house had drifted from its earlier prominence and was sold. In 1989 the rival Beaune negociant Louis Jadot acquired Champy's vineyards. A year later, in 1990, the Champy name, the historic Beaune cellars, and the inventory were sold on to a group led by Pierre Meurgey, his father Henri Meurgey, and Pierre Beuchet, all associate directors of the broking company Distribution Internationale de Vins et Alcools de Beaune (DIVA). The new partners reportedly borrowed 95 percent of the asking price, took on a company that was healthy financially but had been losing influence, and across the 1990s tripled turnover to roughly 40,000 to 50,000 cases annually. They also acquired around 12.5 hectares of vineyard during their tenure, rebuilding the estate-owned portion of the operation that the 1989 Jadot transaction had stripped out.

• Louis Jadot acquired Champy's vineyards in 1989; the name, Beaune cellars, and inventory were sold on in 1990
• 1990 buyers: Pierre Meurgey, his father Henri Meurgey, and Pierre Beuchet, all directors of the broking company DIVA
• Partners borrowed 95 percent of the asking price and tripled turnover across the 1990s to 40,000-50,000 cases annually
• Acquired roughly 12.5 hectares of vineyard between 1990 and the mid-2000s, rebuilding the estate base

Pierre Beuchet bought out Pierre Meurgey's shares in 2005 and became the majority partner in 2012. By the mid-2010s, Beuchet (then in his late sixties) was looking for a buyer with greater financial strength, citing erratic yields and adverse weather as pressures on the business. On October 14, 2016, AdVini, a Languedoc-based French wine group, acquired Maison Champy from Pierre Beuchet. The deal included the Champy name, the Beaune cellars, the inventory, and more than 22 hectares of vineyard on the Cote de Beaune. AdVini also owns Domaine Laroche in Chablis, so the Champy acquisition consolidated the group's Burgundy footprint across both ends of the region. Dimitri Bazas, the technical director and oenologist, has led the vineyard and winemaking team across the AdVini transition; he is a winemaker, not a Meurgey relation, and his continuity from the Beuchet era through the AdVini era has kept the cellar style consistent.

• Pierre Beuchet bought out Pierre Meurgey's shares in 2005; became majority partner in 2012
• AdVini acquired Maison Champy on October 14, 2016 from Pierre Beuchet
• Deal included the Champy name, Beaune cellars, inventory, and more than 22 hectares of Cote de Beaune vineyard
• Dimitri Bazas, technical director and oenologist, leads the vineyard and winemaking team across the AdVini transition; not a Meurgey relation

The Champy cellars in the Rue du Grenier a Sel are among the historic merchant cellars in the center of Beaune, with portions of the building dating back to the early 18th century. The contemporary range covers the standard Burgundy tiers: regional Bourgogne Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (often labeled with the Edme Champy cuvee name in tribute to the founder), village wines from Cote de Beaune communes (Pommard, Volnay, Beaune, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet) and selected Cote de Nuits villages, Premier Cru bottlings (with several Beaune Premier Cru parcels among the estate holdings), and Grand Cru bottlings sourced through both the 22-plus hectares of estate vineyard and contracted-grower negociant arrangements. Production sits at a more focused scale than the very large Beaune negociants (Jadot, Bouchard, Drouhin, Latour), reflecting the Meurgey-Beuchet era rebuild and the AdVini-era continuity.

• Beaune cellars in the Rue du Grenier a Sel; portions of the building date to the early 18th century
• Range: regional Bourgogne (including the Edme Champy cuvee), village wines across Cote de Beaune and selected Cote de Nuits communes, Premier Cru and Grand Cru bottlings
• More than 22 hectares of estate vineyard on the Cote de Beaune plus negociant contracts with Cote d'Or growers
• Production scale more focused than the very large Beaune negociants (Jadot, Bouchard, Drouhin, Latour)