Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
1860 in Ludes, Victor Canard, A cooper, and Léonie Duchêne, from a family of "vignerons" met and fell in love. They got married, and started to make their own champagne.
Success came quickly, so they then decided to set up their own Champagne house. They joined their names together, in the true Champagne tradition, and Canard-Duchêne was born. The year was 1868.
In 1890, their son, Edmond Canard took over. He was young, bold, loved champagne, and really understood the new world which was coming up. Under his guidance, Canard-Duchêne became international champagne, especially as one of the Champagnes supplied to the court of Tsar Nicholas II.
The relationship has left its mark: from then on, the Canard Duchêne coat of arms has borne the two-headed eagle, emblem of the Russian Imperial Family. Another symbol was added later. The sabre, in memory of a tradition which is intimately linked with champagne, celebration and reward. For the last hundred years, the eagle and the sabre have been our coat of arms.
The Third generation continues on the same tracks. Since 1930, Victor Canard, the founder's grandson, gives a new life of the son. After the recent integration of Canard-Duchêne in the privately-owned group Alain Thiénot, it now occupies a strong position on the French market. At the same time, the House is developing its international markets. Long a Symbol of enjoyment and elegance, Champagne is a gift from nature. From the 300 "crus" in the Champagne region, Canard-Duchêne has chosen 60 of them, blending Pinots and Chardonnay, in order to create year after year fruity, balanced and rounded wines.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.