Champagne Ernest Rapeneau

It was in Hautvillers, in 1901, the birthplace of champagne , that Ernest Rapeneau founded his champagne and wine trading company. However, it was not until 1927, when the Champagne wine-growing region was demarcated, that Ernest specialised exclusively in the champagne trade. His choice proved to be an excellent one, as Champagne viticulture was in the midst of a... Read more

It was in Hautvillers, in 1901, the birthplace of champagne , that Ernest Rapeneau founded his champagne and wine trading company. However, it was not until 1927, when the Champagne wine-growing region was demarcated, that Ernest specialised exclusively in the champagne trade. His choice proved to be an excellent one, as Champagne viticulture was in the midst of a restructuring phase. These essential regulations enabled him to select his wines more rigorously and significantly improve the quality of his business. Ernest Rapeneau was, above all, passionate about Champagne wines. In 1936, the supremacy of Champagne wines was definitively recognised with the creation of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée Champagne (AOC). This was the high point for his business, which was already enjoying considerable renown. He then decided to expand his range and distribution network, buoyed by the general boom in Champagne sales. After fifty years of intense activity, he retired from the business for good in 1965, leaving the management of his company to two of his sons, François and Bernard, who had joined the company in 1944. The personality of Champagne E. Rapeneau is based essentially on its founder and then on his descendants, with each member of this family structure finding their place within it. Over the course of four generations, the aim of each member has been to preserve and perpetuate, adapt and perfect a heritage of priceless tradition.