< back

Moët & Chandon

Moët & Chandon was established in 1743. Claude Moët, a wine trader in Epernay since the early 18th century, founded the Maison Moët. The Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV of France, one of the most powerful women of her time, and a highly influential tastemaker, helped make our champagne the wine of choice throughout Europe’s royal courts.

1792, Jean-Rémy Moët took control of the House. Napoleon visited the Moët estates in Epernay numerous times, and Jean-Remy Moët was awarded one of France’s highest honours- the medal of the Légion d’honneur. Legend has it that Napoleon and his troops, invented the tradition of saber bottles of Moët to celebrate victory, which made the Moët & Chandon famous.

Moët & Chandon merged with Hennessy Cognac in 1971, and Louis Vuitton in 1987 to become LVMH (Louis-Vuitton-Moët-Hennessy), the largest luxury group in the world. Today, it owns 1,190 hectares (2,900 acres) of vineyards, and produces approximately 28,000,000 bottles of champagne annually.