Champagne Achille Princier has been produced in an estate that has been in the same family for decades. Indeed, in 1901, Bennoni Mansard embarked on the production of his first bottles of Champagne. A few years later, Gaston Mansard, one of his sons, joined the family winery. Ten years after the Second World War, his son Michel took over the management of the estate, embarking on the expansion of the cellars and the storeroom. To do this, he bought premises in the heart of Épernay.
Gilles Mansard took over the reins of the family estate in 1986 before becoming a merchant a few years later. Over the years, he has endeavoured to pass on his know-how and his passion to his sons. In 1997, he ceased his activity as a Champagne producer and sold part of the premises. Today, the fifth generation represented by Maxime Mansard is at the head of this family house. He launched his first brand of Champagne under the name Achille Princier. He makes his own cuvées from very old vines, planted in 1930 on a plot and inherited from his ancestors.
The Achille Princier house has around 24 hectares of vines spread over ten municipalities. Almost half of the vines are over 30 years old. The grape variety consists of 65% Pinot Meunier giving intense and fruity aromas as well as roundness to the blends. This grape is complemented by Chardonnay (25%) bringing freshness, finesse and elegance, as well as Pinot Noir (10%) giving power and structure. The vineyard has more than 66 plots guaranteeing the complexity and freshness of the wines. These allow Maxime Mansard to develop long-ageing Champagnes.
For the development of its Champagnes, the Achille Princier house relies on a unique style. It uses only the musts from the first press, called “cuvée”, in order to bring finesse to the Champagnes. This method also makes it possible to maintain the qualitative and taste monitoring of the reserve wines. For many years, the winemaker has taken particular and rational care to cuvées ageing at a natural and constant temperature in traditional cellars.
