Marcel Vezien

The champagne house Marcel Vézien is based in Celles-sur-Ource, in the Aube département. The village belongs to the Côte des Bar, which is made up of five valleys: Arce, Laignes, Ource, Sarce and Seine. Behind the name stands a family that has been planting vines for more than a hundred years.

Family and history

Armand Vézien planted his first vines at the end of the 19th century. His grandson Marcel founded the Maison de Champagne that bears his name in 1956. Marcel was an electrician by trade. On the side, he was mayor of Celles-sur-Ource. The house is run today by Jean-Pierre Vézien, who represents the fourth generation of the family. After training as a winemaker and completing his military service, he joined the family business at the age of 20. His daughter Noémie has since come on board and is meant above all to build up the Asian markets.

Vineyards and cuvées

Jean-Pierre Vézien farms around 20 hectares of vines. Older editions of the Guide Hachette still quote 15 to 17 hectares. Pinot Noir dominates the plantings, followed by Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The house has worked as a négociant-manipulant since the 2000s. Each year it sells about 200,000 bottles to private customers and wine merchants.

Two cuvées fit the family story: Effervescence 56 points to the year of founding, while Souvenir d'Ancêtre is a tribute to an ancestor. The flagship is L'Illustre. It is made up of 95% Pinot Noir, 3% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Meunier. The base blend drew on wines from the 2016 and 2017 vintages as well as reserve wines. The range also includes the blanc de blancs Secret d'Éclairés, the rosé de saignée Nuit de Rubis and the blended rosé Celles que j'aime.

Visit and tasting

• The house is open Monday to Friday, from 9 to 12 and from 1.30 to 5.30 pm.
• It offers a cellar tour explaining how champagne is made, followed by a tasting of three cuvées.
• The house's website also promotes an escape game built around the secrets of champagne.

Address: 68 Grande Rue, 10110 Celles-sur-Ource.