About Pannier
Champagne Pannier is a Champagne house founded in 1899 by Louis Eugène Pannier near Épernay. In 1937 it moved to Château-Thierry, in the western Marne Valley, where it acquired 12th-century cellars: roughly 2.5 km of galleries about 30 metres deep, originally medieval quarries dug to supply stone for local churches and monuments. In 1974 a group of growers, now organised as the COVAMA cooperative, bought the house, reportedly the first and only time in Champagne that growers purchased a négociant house. Pannier is therefore a cooperative-owned brand: its cuvées are made and sold under the Pannier name, and the owning growers' group stands behind it. Its range includes Brut Sélection (40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Meunier, aged at least 3 years) and the Blanc de Noirs vintage Cuvée Louis-Eugène.
Who Is This For?
For those who like a Champagne with a story: a growers' cooperative brand with a dramatic underground cellar worth visiting.
Wines of Pannier
No cuvées registered yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who owns Champagne Pannier?
- Pannier is owned by COVAMA, a group of Champagne growers that bought the house in 1974. It is reportedly the only case in Champagne of growers buying a négociant house.
- Where is Champagne Pannier based?
- Pannier is based in Château-Thierry, in the western part of the Marne Valley, in the Aisne département of the Champagne region. The house was founded near Épernay in 1899 and moved there in 1937.
- What is special about Pannier's cellars?
- Its cellars are about 2.5 km of galleries around 30 metres underground. They are medieval quarries, dug to supply stone for the churches and monuments of Château-Thierry, and the house ages its Champagne there.
- What is Pannier Brut Sélection made from?
- It is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Meunier, aged at least 3 years in the cellars.
- Can you visit Champagne Pannier?
- Yes. The house offers cellar visits and tastings in its medieval cellars in Château-Thierry.