A FAMILY HISTORY
Domaine Louis Brochet has been nestled at the foot of Montagne de Reims in the village of Ecueil since the 19th century.
Here, the family’s passion for vineyards and meticulous work on the terroir according to the purest of Champagne expertise has been passed down through four generations of récoltant-manipulants [winegrower/producers].
The Pinot Noir d’Ecueil is the fruit of careful selection, fully-mastered expertise, and meticulous work over the years, endowing our Louis Brochet Champagnes with finesse and character.
MARIE Arsène
and sélection massale
In the 19th century the founder of the family, Marie Arsène Brochet, would carefully select the best vinestocks in the vineyard and identify them with a touch of paint on the trunk.
Already, her primary focus was the search for a very special quality and typicity of terroir. Only those vinestocks marked with paint for three years in succession were selected for subsequent use in grafting.
Through this selection massale technique, the Pinot Noir d’Ecueil has developed its exceptional character. This grape varietal is now used for ¾ of the Louis Brochet Champagne production.
She transmitted all her passion for the terroir and her commitment to the vineyard and the vine to her son, Louis Brochet.
Louis Brochet
AND THE VERY FIRST LABEL
Born in 1881, just 100 years before his great-grandson, Louis Brochet grew up to the rhythm of the Champagne harvests.
Imbibing the meticulous techniques and, above all, the passion that inspired his mother, he became fascinated by the vine in his turn, and devoted his life to it. Over the years, his hard work was rewarded by spectacular harvests. Innovative by nature, Louis Brochet introduced a new episode in the family story, introducing the very first “Champagne Louis Brochet” label. This decision, to build a brand identity for the family’s champagnes, was ambitious and innovative for its time.
He played a pivotal role in the family story which, many years later, his descendants Hélène and Louis Brochet wanted to commemorate by naming the brand after him in 2011.
Henri Brochet
and domaine brochet-hervieux
Together with his wife Yvonne Hervieux, Henri Brochet (Louis’s son) was the first to actually begin producing and marketing the Domaine’s champagne.
Entrepreneurs through-and-through and strong characters, Henri and Yvonne ushered in a new dimension to the family business, wanting to develop a wider market for the Champagne they produced.
They built up their brand, thereby marking the commercial beginnings of the Domaine. These proved promising, since Domaine Brochet-Hervieux would produce the family’s champagne for nearly 70 years.
Alain Brochet
TRADITION AND MODERNITY
Alain Brochet, assisted by his wife Brigitte, also carried on the family traditions and its never-ending search for quality, following in the footsteps of his father Henri.
He expanded the winegrower/producer activity, drawing on the family expertise and legacy to produce outstanding champagnes combining attention to detail and passion.
Close to his children Hélène and Louis, he transmitted his skills and passion to them.
Hélène et Louis Brochet
2013 marked a milestone. Hélène and Louis took over the domaine, with the goal of continuing the work of their father and the previous 4 generations.
Hélène has worked on the domaine since 2005. She is responsible for modernising its communications and for its business development, especially exports, which now account for 30% of business.
Louis produced his first personal creation, the “Cuvée Extra Noir”, in 2010. A trained oenologist, the delicate task of blending is his passion. Every day, in both vineyard and winery, he combines technique and creativity.
Together, brother and sister uphold the domaine’s values while introducing modernisation, in pursuit of the goal handed down from 1881: to create outstanding champagnes.