Champy, Maison
Summary
Founded in 1720, Maison Champy is Burgundy's oldest wine house, managing 21 hectares across the Côte de Beaune's limestone-clay soils while producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from both estate vineyards and sourced grapes throughout the region. Their winemaking balances traditional methods with scientific precision, employing manual harvesting, careful extraction, and tailored oak aging in historic 18th-century cellars to express authentic terroir character.
Heritage & Leadership
Founded in 1720, Maison Champy holds the distinction of being Burgundy's oldest wine house. The maison was established in Beaune and has maintained its presence in the heart of Burgundy for over three centuries. In 1865, Louis Champy hired Burgundy's first professional oenologist, Claude Marey-Monge, marking an early commitment to scientific winemaking approaches. The house gained further recognition when it was appointed as an official supplier to the court of Napoleon III.
After several ownership transitions throughout its history, Maison Champy was acquired by Groupe Bichot in 2012, bringing the historic house under the umbrella of another established Burgundian family business. Under this ownership, Dimitri Bazas serves as the technical director and winemaker, continuing the house's winemaking traditions while implementing modern precision. The company maintains its historic cellars in Beaune, where wines have been aged since the 18th century.
Vineyards & Wines
Maison Champy's vineyard holdings span approximately 21 hectares, primarily concentrated in the Côte de Beaune. Their estate vineyards include parcels in several premier cru and village appellations, with notable holdings in Pernand-Vergelesses, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Beaune, and Chorey-lès-Beaune. The domaine manages vineyards across 16 different appellations in total.
In Pernand-Vergelesses, Champy owns parcels in the premier cru "Les Vergelesses" and "Ile des Vergelesses," where they produce both red and white wines. Their Beaune holdings include sections of premier crus "Aux Cras" and "Les Champs Pimont." The vineyards are planted primarily to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with vine ages ranging from 25 to 45 years in many parcels. The soils vary by location but typically feature the limestone-clay composition characteristic of the Côte de Beaune, with higher limestone content in their white wine vineyards.
Beyond their estate vineyards, Maison Champy operates as a négociant, purchasing grapes from growers throughout Burgundy to produce wines from appellations including Chablis, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Puligny-Montrachet. Their portfolio encompasses village, premier cru, and grand cru designations.
Philosophy & Practice
Maison Champy adheres to traditional Burgundian winemaking methods while incorporating modern techniques where beneficial. In the vineyards, they practice sustainable viticulture with manual harvesting across all parcels. Grapes undergo careful sorting both in the vineyard and at the winery before processing.
For white wines, whole-cluster pressing is employed, followed by settling and fermentation in French oak barrels. Red wine production involves partial or complete destemming depending on the vintage and vineyard, with fermentation in temperature-controlled tanks. Punch-downs and pump-overs are performed manually during fermentation to extract color and tannins.
Aging protocols vary by wine tier: village wines typically spend 10-12 months in oak (15-20% new), premier crus 12-15 months (25-30% new), and grand crus 15-18 months (30-40% new). The cellars beneath their historic premises in Beaune provide ideal natural conditions for wine maturation.
Maison Champy bottles their wines with minimal filtration, aiming to preserve the distinctive character of each vineyard site. Their approach balances respect for tradition with practical adaptations to each vintage's specific conditions, maintaining continuity with practices established over their three centuries of winemaking history.