One of the brilliant historic houses in Champagne, I admit that I was a bit taken back with the grand tour, looking at ancient books of labels dating back to the turn of the century. De Venoge goes back generations to their family, starting in 1825 when Henri-Marc de Venoge from the Vaude region in Switzerland, moved to Champagne to set up, in 1837, its wine trade in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ under the name de Venoge & Cie. In 1838, he created the the first illustrated label in champagne, selling 6,000 bottles in March and 22,000 in April of the same year.
Henri-Marc retired in 1845 and his son Joseph, a leading figure of Epernay’s aristocracy, took over and further developed the brand on the international scene with the help of his brother Léon who settled in the United States. Soon, de Venoge champagne was being dispatched to New-York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, but also Port-au-Prince, and even Calcutta. In 1858 he launched Cordon Bleu (Blue Ribbon) champagne, the emblem of the house, in remembrance of the Venoge river in the Vaude where the family originated.
In 1866, Gaëtan de Venoge, son of Joseph, succeeded his father. He continued developing the sales abroad, especially in the United States, and in 1876 de Venoge was awarded the Grand Prize of Excellence at the Universal Exhibition of Philadelphia. In 1882, de Venoge was among the founding members of the Syndicat des Grandes Marques de Champagne.
In 1892, Gaëtan’s son-in-law, the Marquis Adrien de Mun took over the head of the house together with his wife Yvonne de Venoge and developed the brand in Paris’ high society and among the European aristocracy. At that time, de Venoge was dispatching over 1 million bottles against 30 million for the whole of Champagne. The Marquis de Mun died in 1922 and left his mother-in-law and his widow in charge of the company.
The last direct heir of the de Venoge family left the helm of the firm in 1958. After experiencing some vicissitudes common to many other Champagne houses, in 1998 de Venoge became part of the Boizel Chanoine Champagne group (that eventually became Lanson-BCC). This is when Giles de la Bassetiere joined the team, first taking care of the US market and eventually becoming its president in 2005. He has had a major impact in the brand reaching markets across the globe but also increasing quality in the wines. 2005 was also the launch of Cuvée "Louis XV", in honor of the king that made so much for Champagne. On May 25th 1728, Louis XV issued a decree allowing only wines of Champagne to be both shipped and sold in bottles, marking the birth of Champagne as we know it today.
I adored their entry level wine, the NV De Venoge ‘Codon Blue’ Brut Champagne (OB, 91) which is fresh and lively with lovely range. I won’t lie that I was absolutely blown away with scintillating 2008 De Venoge ‘Louis XVI’ Champagne (OB, 96) which blends equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This delightful, fresh and viscous effort won’t be going anywhere for decades. Learn more about this famed estate at champagnedevenoge.com and here are my reviews of the incredible new De Venoge wines.
NV De Venoge ‘Codon Blue’ Brut Champagne- A blend of near equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, this has a base wine from 2016 and was given 6.1G/L. Fresh and showing a silky mouthfeel, this displays good weight with Macadamia nut, green papaya and kumquat flavors. Drink 2021-2028- 91
NV De Venoge ‘Princes’ Blanc de Blancs Champagne- This 100% Chardonnay ‘Blanc de Blancs’ utilizes a base wine from 2016 as this was disgorged in August 2020. Roasted almond and orange rind tones combine aromatically alongside shades of diatomaceous earth. The palate is very fresh and lithe with beautiful tension and bright citrus rind tones alongside salty and chalky undertones. Drink 2022-2031- 92
NV De Venoge ‘Extra Brut’ Champagne- The NV De Venoge ‘Extra Brut’ Champagne was sourced from 20 separate villages, as this blends near equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The weight is seriously good with beautiful richness and finesse. Layers of melon fruits mingle well with citrus rind and salted praline. Drink 2022-2033- 93
NV De Venoge ‘Princes’ Blanc de Noirs’ Champagne- The NV ‘Blanc de Noirs’ also utilizes a base of 2016 and was disgorged in January 2021, as this was given 6G/L dosage. The palate is plush with a silky mouthfeel and gobs of tension. The finesse really drives this beautiful wine that shows medium-bodied guava, cantaloupe and chalky minerals. Finishing long, this delivers plenty of enjoyment right now. Drink 2022-2031- 93
NV De Venoge ‘Princes’ Rose Champagne- The very pretty NV De Venoge ‘Princes’ Rose Champagne is mostly sourced from the 2016 vintage with 20% reserve wines. Pretty cranberry and red cherry tones mark the nose alongside orange blossom tones. The palate is fresh and showing gobs of finesse with orange zest and bright red fruit flavors. Dink 2022-2038- 93
2008 De Venoge ‘Louis XVI’ Champagne- A blend of equal parts Chardonnay and pinot Noir, the 2008 De Venoge ‘Louis XVI’ Champagne is a stunning wine from this downright epic vintage. Sourdough bread and melon tones combine with salted macadamia nut tones with wet stone on the nose. The palate is seamless throughout the drinking experience as this finishes exceedingly long with minerals, baking spices and freshly baked French bread. Drinking beautifully right now, this still has a very long way to go. Drink 2022-2042- 96