Delahaie

Champagne Delahaie is a family-run house in Épernay (Marne), founded in 1959. The address is 16 Allée de la Côte des Blancs. In 1959 Monsieur Delahaie took over the family estate in Épernay and decided from the outset to make his champagne with the help of an oenologist. He built its reputation among a private clientele.

From uncle to nephew to son-in-law

Having no direct heirs, he passed the estate on in 1988 to his nephew Jacques Brochet, who shortly afterwards took charge of the winemaking himself. The Guide Hachette, however, gives 1991 as the year of the handover. Brochet began by buying casks for ageing. He then changed the blends, in search of the typicity of the terroir and of the three champagne grape varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. In 2022 his son-in-law Anthony Paille joined the business, himself from a fourth-generation winegrowing family.

Grapes, methods and cuvées

The wines are made from a blend of the three varieties, using grapes from the family vineyard and from other champagne sites. In addition, Jacques Brochet buys in the harvests of a number of growers from premier cru and grand cru sites. The house therefore operates as a négociant-manipulant. The vineyards are farmed according to the rules of viticulture raisonnée. The sources I checked give no figures for the vineyard area.

According to Business France, the range comprises a Brut Millésimé 2016, the Brut Premier, the Brut Prestige 1er Cru, a Demi-Sec, a Brut Rosé and the Cuvée Sublime Grand Cru. The Brut Premier is strongly shaped by dark grapes: 80 per cent, with the two Pinots in equal parts. The Guide Hachette picks out aromas of pear, candied exotic fruit and hazelnut.

Awards

Delahaie has been selected by the Guide Hachette des Vins de France since 1994. In 1998 it won a silver medal at the Sélections Mondiales in Montréal, and in 2016 a bronze medal at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards. Anyone interested in tasting or visiting can find information on the house's website.