The Maison Moët & Chandon

The Maison Moët & Chandon is a champagne house founded in 1743 by Claude Moët. It is now owned by the LVMH group.

Claude Moët founded the house in 1743, previously owned by a writer friend of Voltaire and André Chénier. He had two pavilions built there for each of his children, as well as English gardens and a swimming pool in the shape of a champagne bottle.

In 1792, the grandson took over the estate. He had a private mansion built in the Faubourg de la Folie (today’s Avenue de Champagne). Thus, close to the cellars and warehouses, he developed the trading activity. In 1833, Maison Moët became Maison Moët & Chandon with the entry of Jean Rémy Moët’s son-in-law: Pierre Gabriel Chandon de Briailles at the management of the house.

Thanks to exports to Europe, Moët & Chandon is experiencing a boost in its sales.

In 1962, Moët & Chandon acquired its competitor Ruinart and then Maison Mercier in 1970. For 1973, Moët & Chandon invested in California with the launch of Domaine Chandon in the Napa Valley.

In the 1950s, the company exported to Argentina and marketed sparkling wine to meet the demand of new Argentine customers. Other international projects were launched: Brazil and California in 1973, Australia in 1986 and India and China in 2013.

Moët & Chandon owns the largest champagne vineyard with 1190 hectares. However, the grapes from the vines only produce 25% of the production. The house therefore buys grapes from other owners.

It was then that the company invested outside the wine world with the purchase of Parfums Christian Dior in 1971. It moved closer to the Cognac-Hennessy company, giving birth to the Moët-Hennessy group. The latter became a pioneer of the LVMH group, created in 1987 with the merger with Louis Vuitton.