Part 6 (1/2)
Some idea of the complex character of so vast an establishment as that of Messrs. Moet and Chandon may be gathered from a mere enumeration of their staff, which, in addition to twenty clerks and 350 cellarmen proper, includes numerous agrafe-makers and corkcutters, packers and carters, wheelwrights and saddlers, carpenters, masons, slaters and tilers, tinmen, firemen, needlewomen, &c., while the inventory of objects used by this formidable array of workpeople comprises no fewer than 1,500 distinct heads. A medical man attached to the establishment gives gratuitous advice to all those employed, and a chemist dispenses drugs and medicines without charge. While suffering from illness the men receive half-pay, but should they be laid up by an accident met with in the course of their work full salary is invariably awarded to them. As may be supposed, so vast an establishment as this is not without a provision for those past work, and all the old hands receive liberal pensions from the firm upon retiring. Every year Messrs. Moet and Chandon give a banquet or a ball to the people in their employ--usually after the bottling of the wine is completed--when the hall in which the entertainment takes place is handsomely decorated and illuminated with myriads of coloured lamps.
It is needless to particularise Messrs. Moet and Chandon's wines, which are familiar to all drinkers of champagne. Their famous ”star” brand is known in all societies, figures equally at clubs and mess-tables, at garden parties and picnics, dinners and _soirees_, and has its place in hotel _cartes_ all over the world. One of the best proofs of the wine's universal popularity is found in the circ.u.mstance that as many as 1,000 visitors from all parts of the world come annually to Epernay and make the tour of Messrs. Moet and Chandon's s.p.a.cious cellars.
A little beyond Messrs. Moet and Chandon's, in the broad Rue du Commerce, we encounter a heavy, ornate, pretentious-looking chateau, the residence of M. Perrier-Jouet, which presents a striking contrast to the almost mean-looking premises opposite, where the business of the firm is carried on. M. Perrier-Jouet is the fortunate grandson of the Sieur Perrier Fissier, a little Epernay grocer, who some eighty years or so ago used to supply corks, candles, and string to the firm of Moet and Co., and who, when the profits arising from this connection warranted his doing so, discarded his grocer's sleeves and ap.r.o.n and blossomed forth as a compet.i.tor in the champagne trade. Perrier-Jouet and Co.'s offices are situated on the left-hand side of a courtyard surrounded by low buildings, which serve as celliers, store-houses, packing-rooms, and the like. From an inner courtyard where piles of bottles are stacked under open sheds, the cellars themselves are reached. Previous to descending into these we pa.s.sed through the various buildings, in one of which a party of men were engaged in disgorging and preparing wine for s.h.i.+pment. In another we noticed one of those heavy beam presses for pressing the grapes which the more intelligent manufacturers regard as obsolete, while in a third was the _cuvee_ vat, holding no more than 2,200 gallons. In making their _cuvee_ the firm commonly mix one part of old wine to three parts of new. An indifferent vintage, however, necessitates the admixture of a larger proportion of the older growth.
The cellars, like all the more ancient ones at Epernay, are somewhat straggling and irregular, still they are remarkably cool, and on the lower floor remarkably damp as well. This, however, would appear to be no disadvantage, as the breakage in them is calculated never to exceed 2 per cent.
The firm have no less than five qualities of champagne, and at one of the recent champagne compet.i.tions at London, where the experts engaged had no means of identifying the brands submitted to their judgment, Messrs. Perrier-Jouet's First Quality got cla.s.sed below a cheaper wine of their neighbours Messrs. Pol Roger and Co., and very considerably below the Extra Sec of Messrs. Perinet et fils, and inferior even to a wine of De Venoge's, the great Epernay manufacturer of common cla.s.s champagnes.
[Ill.u.s.tration: COURTYARD OF MESSRS. POL ROGER'S ESTABLISHMENT AT EPERNAY. (p. 115)]
Champagne establishments, combined with the handsome residences of the manufacturers, line both sides of the long, imposing Rue du Commerce at Epernay. On the left hand is a succession of fine chateaux, commencing with one belonging to M. Auban Moet, whose terraced gardens overlook the valley of the Marne, and command views of the vine-clad heights of c.u.mieres, Hautvillers, Ay, and Mareuil, and the more distant slopes of Ambonnay and Bouzy, while on the other side of the famous Epernay thoroughfare we encounter beyond the establishments of Messrs. Moet and Chandon and Perrier-Jouet the ornate monumental facade which the firm of Piper and Co.--of whom Messrs. Kunkelmann and Co. are to-day the successors--raised some years since above their extensive cellars.
A little in the rear of the Rue du Commerce is the well-ordered establishment of Messrs. Roussillon and Co., the extension of whose business of late has necessitated their removal to these capacious premises. The wines of the firm enjoy a high reputation in England, France, and Russia, and have secured favourable recognition at the Paris, Philadelphia, and other Exhibitions. Their stock includes considerable quant.i.ties of the older vintages, it being a rule of the house never to s.h.i.+p crude young wines. It is on their dry varieties that Messrs. Roussillon and Co. especially pride themselves, and some of the fine wine of 1874 that was here shown to us was as remarkable for its delicacy as for its fragrance.
In a side street at the farther end of the Rue du Commerce stands a chateau of red brick, overlooking on the one side an extensive pleasure-garden, and on the other a s.p.a.cious courtyard, bounded by celliers, stables, and bottle-sheds, all of modern construction and on a most extensive scale. These form the establishment of Messrs. Pol Roger and Co., settled for many years at Epernay, and known throughout the Champagne for their large purchases at the epoch of the vintage. From the knowledge they possess of the best crus, and their relations with the leading vineyard proprietors, they are enabled whenever the wine is good to acquire large stocks of it. Having bottled a considerable quant.i.ty of the fine wine of 1874, they resolved to profit by the exceptional quality of this vintage to commence s.h.i.+pping champagne to England, where their agents, Messrs. Reuss, Lauteren, and Co., have successfully introduced the new brand.
Pa.s.sing through a large open gateway we enter the vast courtyard of the establishment, which, with arriving and departing carts--the first loaded with wine in cask or with new bottles, and the others with cases of champagne--presents rather an animated scene. Under a roof projecting from the wall of the vast cellier on the right hand a tribe of ”Sparnaciennes”--as the feminine inhabitants of Epernay are termed--are occupied in was.h.i.+ng bottles in readiness for the coming tirage. The surrounding buildings, most substantially constructed, are not dest.i.tute of architectural pretensions.
The extensive cellier, the area of which is 23,589 square feet, is understood to be the largest single construction of the kind in the Champagne district. Built entirely of iron, stone and brick, its framework is a perfect marvel of lightness. The roof, consisting of rows of brick arches, is covered above with a layer of Portland cement, in order to keep it cool in summer and protect it against the winter cold, two most desirable objects in connection with the manipulation of champagne. Here an endless chain of a new pattern enables wine in bottle to be lowered and raised with great rapidity to or from the cellars beneath--lofty and capacious excavations of two stories, the lowest of which is reached by a flight of no less than 170 steps.
Epernay, unlike Reims, has little of general interest to attract the stranger. Frequently besieged and pillaged during the Middle Ages, and burnt to the ground by the dauphin, son of Francois I., the town, although of some note as far back as the time of Clovis, exhibits to-day no evidence whatever of its great antiquity. The thoroughfare termed the Rempart de la Tour Biron recalls a memorable incident which transpired during the siege of the town by Henri IV. While the king was reconnoitring the defences a cannon-ball aimed at his waving white plume took off the head of the Marechal Biron at the moment Henri's hand was resting familiarly on the marechal's shoulder. Strange to say, the king himself escaped unhurt.
[Ill.u.s.tration: VIEW OF AY FROM THE BANKS OF THE MARNE Ca.n.a.l. (p. 117.)]
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE VENDANGEOIR OF HENRI QUATRE.]
XI.--CHAMPAGNE ESTABLISHMENTS AT AY AND MAREUIL.
The Establishment of Deutz and Geldermann-- Drawing off the Cuvee-- Mode of Excavating Cellars in the Champagne-- The Firm's New Cellars, Vineyards, and Vendangeoir-- The old Chateau of Ay and its Terraced Garden-- The Gambling Propensities of Balthazar Constance Dange-Dorcay, a former Owner of the Chateau-- The Picturesque Situation and Aspect of Messrs. Ayala's Establishment-- A Promenade through their Cellars-- M. Duminy's Cellars and Wines-- His new Model Construction-- The House Founded in 1814-- Messrs. Bollinger's Establishment-- Their Vineyard of La Grange-- The Tirage in Progress-- The Fine Cellars of the Firm-- Messrs. Pfungst's freres and Co.'s Cellars-- Their Dry Champagnes of 1868, '70, '72, and '74-- The Old Church of Ay and its Decorations of Grapes and Vineleaves-- The Vendangeoir of Henri Quatre-- The Montebello Establishment at Mareuil-- The Chateau formerly the Property of the Dukes of Orleans-- A t.i.tled Champagne Firm-- The Brilliant Career of Marshal Lannes-- A Promenade through the Montebello Establishment-- The Press House, the Cuvee Vat, the Packing-Room, the Offices, and the Cellars-- Portraits and Relics at the Chateau-- The Establishment of Bruch-Foucher and Co.-- The handsome Carved Gigantic Cuvee Tun-- The Cellars and their Lofty Shafts-- The Wines of the Firm.
The historic _bourgade_ of Ay is within a short walk of the station on the line of railway connecting Epernay with Reims. The road lies across the light bridge spanning the Marne ca.n.a.l, the tall trees fringing which hide for a time the cl.u.s.tering houses; still we catch sight of the tapering steeple of the antique church rising sharply against the green vine-covered slopes and the fleecy-clouded summer sky. We soon reach the Place de l'Hotel de Ville, and continuing onward in the direction of the steep hills which shelter the town on the north, come to a ma.s.sive-looking corner house in front of the broad _porte-cochere_ of which some railway carts laden with cases of champagne are standing.
Pa.s.sing through the gateway we find ourselves in an open court, with a dwelling-house to the right and a range of buildings in front where the offices of Messrs. Deutz and Geldermann are installed. This is the central establishment of the firm, whose Extra Dry ”Gold Lack” and ”Cabinet” champagnes have long been favourably known in England. Here are s.p.a.cious celliers for disgorging and finis.h.i.+ng off the wine, a large packing-hall, and rooms where bales of corks and other accessories of the trade are stored, the operations of making the _cuvees_ and bottling being accomplished in an establishment some little distance off.
[Ill.u.s.tration: DRAWING OFF THE CUVeE AT DEUTZ & GELDERMANN'S, AY. (p. 118)]
[Ill.u.s.tration: EXCAVATING DEUTZ & GELDERMANN'S NEW CELLARS, AY. (p. 119)]
Proceeding thither, we find an elegant chateau with a charming terraced garden, lying at the very foot of the vine-clad slopes, and on the opposite side of the road some large celliers where wine in wood is stored, and where the _cuvees_ of the firm, consisting usually of upwards of 50,000 gallons each, are made in a vat of gigantic proportions, furnished with a raised platform at one end for the accommodation of the workman who agitates the customary paddles. When the wine is completely blended it is drawn off into casks disposed for the purpose in the cellar below, as shown in the accompanying engraving, and after being fined it rests for about a month to clear itself. To each of these casks of newly-blended wine a portion of old wine is added separately, and at the moment of bottling the whole is newly amalgamated.
Adjoining M. Deutz's chateau is the princ.i.p.al entrance to the extensive cellars of the firm, to which, at the time of our visit, considerable additions were being made. In excavating a gallery the workmen commence by rounding off the roof, and then proceed to work gradually downwards, extracting the chalk, whenever practicable, in blocks suitable for building purposes, which being worth from three to four s.h.i.+llings the square yard help to reduce the cost of the excavation. When any serious flaws present themselves in the sides or roof of the galleries, they are invariably made good with masonry.
This range of cellars now comprises eight long and lofty galleries no less than 17 feet wide, and the same number of feet in height, and of the aggregate length of 2,200 yards. These s.p.a.cious vaults, which run parallel with each other, and communicate by means of cross pa.s.sages, underlie the street, the chateau, the garden, and the vineyard slopes beyond, and possess the great advantage of being always dry. They are capable, we were informed, of containing several million bottles of champagne in addition to a large quant.i.ty of wine in cask.
Messrs. Deutz and Geldermann possess vineyards at Ay, and own a large vendangeoir at Verzenay, where in good years they usually press 500 pieces of wine. They, moreover, make large purchases of grapes at Bouzy, Cramant, Le Mesnil, Pierry, &c, and invariably have these pressed under their own superintendence. Beyond large s.h.i.+pments to England, Messrs.
Deutz and Geldermann transact a considerable business with other countries, and more especially with Germany, where their brand has been for years one of the most popular, and is to-day the favourite at numerous regimental messes and the princ.i.p.al hotels.
The old chateau of Ay, which dates from the early part of the last century, belongs to-day to the Count de Mareuil, a member of the firm of Ayala and Co., one of the leading establishments of the famous Marne-side cru. Perched half-way up the slope, covered with ”golden plants,” which rises in the rear of the village, the chateau, with its long facade of windows, commands the valley of the Marne for miles, and from the stately terraced walk, planted with ancient lime-trees, geometrically clipped in the fas.h.i.+on of the last century, a splendid view of the distant vineyards of Avize, Cramant, Epernay, and Chouilly is obtained. The chateau formed one of a quartette of seignorial residences which at the commencement of the present century belonged to Balthazar Constance Dange-Dorcay, whose ancestors had been lords of Chouilly under the _ancien regime_. Dorcay had inherited from an aunt the chateaux of Ay, Mareuil, Boursault, and Chouilly, together with a large patrimony in land and money; but a mania for gambling brought him to utter ruin, and he dispossessed himself of money, lands, and chateaux in succession, and was reduced, in his old age, to earn a meagre pittance as a violin-player at the Paris Opera House. The old chateau of Boursault, which still exists contiguous to the stately edifice raised by Mme. Clicquot on the summit of the hill, was risked and lost on a single game at cards by this pertinacious gamester, whose pressing pecuniary difficulties compelled him to sell the remaining chateaux one by one. That of Ay was purchased by M. Froc de la Boulaye, and by him bequeathed to his cousin the Count de Mareuil, whose granddaughter became the wife of one of the Messrs. Ayala, and whose son is to-day their partner.
[Ill.u.s.tration: MESSRS. AYALA & CO.'S ESTABLISHMENT AT AY. (p. 121)]