Les Mesneux

Location

Les Mesneux lies in the Marne département in the Grand Est region, about seven kilometres south-west of Reims. The village belongs to the arrondissement of Reims and the canton of Fismes-Montagne de Reims. Neighbouring communes include Ormes, Tinqueux, Bezannes, Sacy, Ville-Dommange, Jouy-lès-Reims and Pargny-lès-Reims. Statistically the commune forms part of the area around the city of Reims, but it is rural in character. At the end of 2022 it had 966 inhabitants, who call themselves Mesneusiens.

Viticulture

Les Mesneux is neither a grand cru nor a premier cru. Even so, wine plays an important part in village life: around 47 hectares of vines are authorised for the Champagne appellation. The village is surrounded by vines and fields, and growers and farmers shape its character. Agriculture takes up a large share of the land: almost 88 per cent of the commune is farmed, most of it as arable land and a good 7 per cent as permanent crops, which include the vineyards.

The climate is temperate and oceanic. The average annual temperature is around 10.6 °C, and rainfall averages about 674 millimetres a year. These are conditions typical of Champagne's northerly position: fresh summers and cold winters.

“At the end of 2022 it had 966 inhabitants, who call themselves Mesneusiens.ViticultureLes Mesneux is neither a grand cru nor a premier cru.

Origin of the name

The name goes back to the Old French word mesnil, meaning a rural estate, farmstead or manor house. The village appears in the sources as early as the 12th century, then spelt Mesnix. Over the centuries the form changed often, until the present spelling, Les Mesneux, took hold in the 18th century.

What to see

The village's most important building is the Romanesque church of Saint-Remi, dating from the 11th century. It is a reminder of the long history of this village on the doorstep of Reims. Visitors to the area will also find:

Boizel Champagner Fass

• wide green spaces around the village
• a sports centre on the Route de Villedomange, in the building known as La Croisette
• a TGV station nearby, which makes the journey from Paris and other cities easier

The organist and composer Gustave Tritant was born in the village in 1837 and died in 1907.

For wine lovers

Les Mesneux is not a destination for a big day of sightseeing, but it makes a good, quiet base for trips into the surrounding countryside. Its closeness to Reims makes it easy to combine a visit to the city's great houses with a detour to the growers of the nearby villages. If you want to get to know champagne through the people behind the wine, places of this size often offer the most personal way in.