Fast Facts About Moet & Chandon

Twelve Little Known Facts About These World Famous Champagnes

• The “t” in Moët is pronounced. Although Claude Moët was French, the surname is Dutch, and so the “t” is not silent.
• The company was founded as Moët et Cie in 1743.
• Claude Moët’s grandson Jean-Rémy Moët grew the business, beginning its life as a luxury brand.
• Upon Jean Rémy’s retirement, his son Victor Moët and son-in-law Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Brialles assumed leadership of the company.
• The brand not only produces an extensive line of Moët & Chandon champagnes, but they also produce Dom Perignon and Hennessy Cognac.
• Dom Perignon was a person. He was a Benedictine monk who lived from 1638-1715. He came to realize that champagnes made from exclusively white grapes would re-ferment when weather began to get warmer in the spring, increasing carbonation and causing bottles to explode. He believed that Pinot Noir grapes were essential to the quality of the wine, and to preventing re-fermentation.
• The Moët & Chandon name has become increasingly associated with luxury. In 1979, the company merged with Hennessy cognac, and in 1987 merged with Louis Vuitton, becoming LVMH, the largest luxury brand in the world.
• Moët & Chandon champagnes were popular with King Louis XV, Napoleon Bonaparte, and held a royal warrant to supply champagne to Queen Elizabeth II.
• Moët & Chandon produces more than 26 million bottles of champagne across its lines each year.
• The estate boasts the largest network of underground wine cellars in the Champagne region.
• The cellars and grounds, located in Epernay, are open for tours and available for special events.
• In 1973, Moët & Chandon established Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley, California. It was the first French-owned sparkling wine producer in the region. This location has sister wineries in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and China.