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Established in 1859 through the merger of two Champagne growers, Champagne Duval-Leroy is still a family business, handed down from father to son for 148 years. Carol Duval-Leroy has been running the Maison since 1991, after the sudden loss of her husband. Located in Vertus, in the heart of Côte des Blancs since its creation, this area was an important regional center during the Middle Ages, and was entirely destroyed once during the Hundred Years’ War and then again during the Second World War. With five hundred hectares of vines, Vertus (pop. 2,500) is now the second largest wine-growing district in the Champagne region, after Les Riceys.

Currently, Duval-Leroy cultivates about 200 hectares of grapes: Chardonnay (27%), Pinot Noir (38%) and Meunier (35%), and is ranked in the 15 top Champagne houses with a production of 5-6 million bottles annually. Their own vineyards contribute an independent supply of grapes which provides one quarter of the company’s annual grape needs, with the balance coming from growers under contract. Although the main production facility is in Vertus, Duval-Leroy has additional facilities located in Bligny, Beaunay, Chouilly and Sézanne where grapes can be pressed on location, and juice trucked in to the main facility.

Join us as we visit the large Duval-Leroy facility in Vertus during crush.

For More Info on Champagne Duval-Leroy: www.duval-leroy.com

The sponsor of this video is the Office of Champagne USA: www.champagne.us