Our House

Presentation of the Delaunois Chanez Champagne House

Welcome to the Champagne House Delaunois Chanez, where the art of winemaking and a passion for the terroir come together to create exceptional champagnes. Located in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, the estate spans 3.80 hectares of carefully cultivated vineyards.

Winemakers for 5 generations: Since the 1920s, our estate has seen generations succeed one another. Ancestral know-how and a love for the terroir have been passed down as a legacy over the years. Today, we are proud to welcome you to a family-run estate, where respect for the land and a passion for wine inspire us daily.

Our Grape Varieties: We are fortunate to cultivate the three emblematic grape varieties of Champagne: pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay. Each of these varieties brings unique characteristics to our blends, allowing us to craft harmonious and elegant champagnes that are a faithful reflection of our terroir.

Sustainable Farming Practices: We are deeply committed to preserving our environment. Our farming practices respect the land and the plants that grow on it. The use of insecticides is prohibited to protect biodiversity. The grassing of vineyard rows and soil cultivation enable us to reduce chemical inputs.

A vineyard located in Rilly-la-montagne

Charming small winegrowing village classified as Premier Cru, Rilly-la-Montagne is ideally located on the road between Reims and Epernay, making it a popular stop for tourists visiting the region. The village has 312 hectares of planted areas, with a slight majority of Pinot Noir, and the subsoil of Rilly is primarily composed of white chalk.

The vineyard work is carried out a throughout the year

Winter works

The vineyard loses its leaves, and the vines have stored their reserves. It is late November, and the time has come to start pruning the vines. This tedious task will take us about four months. Pruning in Champagne is regulated and requires obtaining a diploma. Next comes tying, where the pruned shoots are attached to the “tying” wire to allow the plant to grow in an orderly manner.

Spring works

It is April, spring is arriving, and with it, the appearance of the first buds. Small and fragile, they sometimes suffer from spring frosts that can decimate an entire harvest in one night. In May, it’s time for debudding. We remove all the unnecessary, non-fruitful buds from the vines to allow the buds that will bear the future clusters to develop under the best conditions. This also helps to aerate the plant, significantly reducing the risk of diseases on the vine. At the same time, soil work begins with plowing and mowing the grass-covered plots.

Summer works

The vine keeps growing, and it’s time for trellising. It is late June to early July, and it will take us about three weeks to trellis all our plots. Each shoot that extends beyond is carefully placed between the wires. The purpose of this operation is to separate the tangled shoots and aerate the vine. The clusters grow, take their final shape, and begin to ripen slowly.

Fall works

The harvest season arrives! Throughout the vineyard, inspections and measurements are carried out almost daily to monitor the progress of grape ripening for each variety. This allows us to determine our picking schedule and, most importantly, the start date of the harvest.

Every beautiful bottle of champagne begins with a beautiful harvest!

The grape harvest in Champagne is done entirely by hand. The crates are quickly transported to the press, where the pressing begins and lasts about three hours, with the juice flowing slowly. We vinify each grape variety and each plot of old vines (over 40 years old) separately.

The wine will be ready to be blended and bottled between February and March for a minimum aging period of 2 years on the lees before being sold, and a minimum of 4 years for vintages. It is during this resting period that the wine develops its aromas and builds its identity.