Beyond Bubbles, The Women of Maison Pommery Continue to Innovate with Château La Gordonne
With all the wine out there – and there is a LOT of it – I’m always looking for a connection to wine. What is something that they do that is important to me? What actions do they take that aligns with my values and makes me actually want to buy the wine? It turns out that Maison Pommery checks those boxes for me – and that includes their Château La Gordonne estate in Provence, which I had no idea even existed!
How It Started
Back when I started this old blog, Champagne Pommery was the first champagne house I ever visited. For me, I loved the house’s place in history which made it an easy choice amongst the houses in Reims to visit. You can see my article on my visit here. Be kind – I was a new blogger just getting started.
If you’re not aware, do know that Madame Pommery was an absolute trailblazer in the world of champagne. She created Brut (dry) Champagne in 1874 after discovering that the majority of her consumers wanted a lighter, less sweet wine. She also pioneered the use of underground storage in chalk caves (crayères) and was the first to open her Champagne house to visitors back in 1878. And she was also one of the first employers to create social security and retirement benefits for her employees and also contributed significantly to the country’s orphanages. Who can’t get behind that?
Where We Are Today
Today, that female leadership continues with the current owners. I recently had lunch with Pauline Vranken, CEO of Vranken-Pommery America, the subsidiary that is focused on building the brand in the Americas. She is the daughter of Paul-François and Nathalie Vranken, owners of Maison Pommery & Associés. The family-owned company’s holdings include Champagne Pommery, Champagne Vranken, Champagne Pompadour, Champagne Charles Lafitte – and Château La Gordonne, which we explored at lunch. I should note that I’m not typically a “lady who lunches” as I don’t have the right clothes or temperament – I can be salty and sarcastic! LOL!
While Pauline has an engineering background (including a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Columbia University) I love that she is committed to continuing the family’s wine business. And with mom Nathalie in the role of Chairwoman and CEO of the family business, she continues in a long line of strong women involved in all things named Pommery. Madame Pommery would be proud!
Venturing to Provence Through Château La Gordonne
What I didn’t realize it that the family’s work in wine extended beyond bubbles. During lunch, we explored the wines of the family’s Provençal estate Château La Gordonne, which is one of the oldest and largest estates in Provence. Farmed organically and featuring clay-limestone (classic soil type in Bourgogne and Chablis) and schist (think Douro, Priorat, and the Loire Valley) soils, the estate is situated in the heart of the Golden Triangle of the Côtes de Provence wine region.
And here’s a fun fact: After the family spent many years visiting Provence during the kids’ childhood and seeing wife Nathalie Vranken’s love of the region, Paul-François Vranken purchased and gifted the property to Nathalie. I can’t remember if it was for her birthday or something else. I just remembered thinking that Mr. Corkscrew bought me a bike one Christmas. Do with that what you will. LOL!
Exploring the Wines of Château La Gordonne
During lunch, we tasted through their ultra-premium collection of wines known as “The Trilogy” which features a rosé, white, and red wine. What is unique about this trio of wines is that they are produced using sandstone egg-shaped vessels.
Interestingly enough, this started as a passion project for Nathalie and winemaker Julien Fort. After traveling to Italy to purchase the egg, the thought was to just do a small amount of rosé. But the wine ended up being so good that they expanded the use to a white wine and then a red. Looking at the big picture, they wanted to showcase that Provence is more than just pale pink rosé. And so it is that we have a “trilogy” of amazing wines.
The Trilogy white and rosé wines are aged in the vessel for several months, with the results being wines that are textural marvels. The porous nature of the sandstone allows in small amounts of oxygen (just like a traditional wine barrel) but without the characteristics that comes from oak. This allows a truly pure expression of the grapes and soils alike. For red wines, instead of doing a traditional crush of the grapes, the grapes are placed inside the sandstone vessel, grape by grape, and then the vessel is rotated to release the juices of the grapes using gravity. This process allows a slow, gentle extraction of the juice which allows the juice to take on depth of flavor, yet still retain its elegance. At the end of the day these wines offer up finesse and aromatic complexity. I really loved the texture of the wines.
During lunch, we started with the rosé, called Le Cirque des Grives. But make no mistake, this is not your every day Provençal rosé. Yes it provided fresh, juicy red fruits, but also provided a roundness and creaminess juxtaposed with its vibrant acidity. Like magic in a bottle.
Next up was the white wine, called Semaphore, crafted of 100% Rolle aka Vermentino. Rolle, as it is known in the region, is one of the oldest varieties in Provence and absolutely captures the essence of the history of the region. In this case, the desire was to bridge history and the future and provide this very old grape with a newfound, modern character.
The final wine was the red, which is called Les Planetes, actually made Nathalie (a champagne person through and through) appreciate red wine. With the impact of the egg, the wine is quite smooth, almost delicate, yet rich with very little tannin – entirely belying the fact that it’s made of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. This definitely goes on my list of chillable summer reds!
And I learned that the unique bottle shape is trademarked (or whatever they call it in France) by the winery. The shape is meant to replicate the bells in the region.
Lunch at Little Hen
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the new (to me) restaurant where the Trilogy wines were unveiled to us – Little Hen. This is the cutest, English-inspired breakfast and brunch restaurant. How have I not heard of it? Seriously a vibe!
We actually started our meal with a drink called the Champagne Candy Cloud, which featured Pommery champagne, cotton candy, and rose petals. The drink is the result of a partnership between Little Hen and Pommery. And a little birdie told me you can even get this sublime concoction at the champagne house in Reims.
Beyond the cocktails, this is definitely an amazing place to enjoy all things brunch!
What a way to continue the innovation of Madame Pommery. Hell yes, to women flexing while overseeing beautiful, sustainable wine!
