Mousse Fils

Meunier from the Marne Valley

The house of Moussé Fils lies in the heart of the Marne Valley in the village of Cuisles and has been restoring dignity to Meunier since 1923. The grape is the common thread running through the cuvées. A correction to the estate's website copy: the family has been growing grapes in the Marne Valley, from father to son, since 1629, but has been making wine as cellar masters for only four generations. So one cannot speak of twelve generations of winemaking. The family came to Cuisles in 1880 and sold its grapes to the large champagne houses. Eugène Moussé, born in 1896, wanted to free himself from fluctuating grape prices. In 1923 he bottled his first own champagne, and from 1926 he sold it. More recently the house has also been trading under the name Famille Moussé.

The Second World War threatened the family's work: Eugène died in 1945 in the Neuengamme concentration camp. His wife Suzanne kept the business going until their son Edmond returned from the same camp. In 2003 Cédric Moussé joined the estate. His father Jean-Marc was mayor of Cuisles for 25 years and a devoted lover of Meunier.

“The family came to Cuisles in 1880 and sold its grapes to the large champagne houses.

Sites, vines and working methods

The parcels are spread across Cuisles, Jonquery, Châtillon-sur-Marne and Olizy, but all lie on the same slope with full southern exposure. Sources disagree on the vineyard area: one merchant profile gives 16 hectares, another source 17.4 hectares. The green clay (illite) of Cuisles is characteristic, giving the cuvées intensity, freshness and minerality. About 85 per cent of the vines are Meunier, 12 per cent Pinot Noir and 3 per cent Chardonnay.

Since 2014 the house has avoided synthetic pesticides, treats the vines with essential oils, uses native yeasts and limits inputs. The cellar is built ecologically and uses spring water.

Champagner Keller Malakoff

The cuvées

• L'Or d'Eugène: the cuvée that stands for the house style, a solera-style blend with a perpetual reserve of 80 per cent Meunier and 20 per cent Pinot Noir.
• Les Vignes de mon Village: 100 per cent Meunier exclusively from Cuisles, with no dosage.
• Terre d'Illite: 95 per cent Meunier and 5 per cent Pinot Noir from 23 parcels, aged for 50 months.
• Spécial Club Les Fortes Terres: the first pure Meunier cuvée in the Club Trésors de Champagne. The first vintage was 2005.
• Anecdote: a blanc de blancs from the sites Les Varosses in Cuisles and Les Terres Rouges in Jonquery.

Visits and tastings

To arrange visits and tastings, use the contact page of the website. You will find the house at 5 Rue de Jonquery in Cuisles. The newer website mentions around three hours, including a full tasting of the range.