Louis Casters

The Louis Casters champagne house is based in Damery in the Marne valley, close to Épernay. Eugène Cadel (1857 to 1932) founded it in 1899. He came from a long line of winegrowers. According to the house, the fifth generation now works in the business.

Family and history

Cadel's daughter Elizabeth married René Filaine in 1920, and the champagne was then called Cadel-Filaine. Their daughter Marguerite married Louis Casters, a Belgian from Limburg. Since 1944 the brand has carried the name Louis Casters. It developed above all in Flanders, where the family had a network of contacts. In 1972 their son Jean-Louis, also married to a Flemish woman, continued to run the house. Today Johan Casters and his wife Valérie manage the business. The Belgian roots still shape it: according to an older profile, around 70 per cent of sales went to Belgium at the time.

Vineyards and cuvées

Figures for the vineyard area vary. An older report gives 10 hectares of the house's own vines in Damery plus 30 hectares of bought-in grapes. The Guide Véron gives 13 hectares and about 250,000 bottles a year. The grapes are picked by hand, and vineyard management follows the lutte raisonnée, a form of controlled crop protection. The wines are made in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, without malolactic fermentation.

• Cuvée Supérieure: 100% Pinot Meunier, supple and fruity.
• Cuvée Sélection: 100% Pinot Noir.
• Cuvée Réserve: 100% Chardonnay.
• Cuvée Eugène: 70% Chardonnay, 15% each of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, a blend of three vintages, about seven to eight years on the lees. It commemorates the founder.

Alongside these there is a Rosé Brut, the Cuvée JL, vintage champagnes (2015 as a Chardonnay Grand Cru, 2018 from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), as well as ratafia and marc de champagne.

Visits and tastings

The house welcomes visitors in Damery. Cellar opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm. The house's website also mentions a museum.