The Estate
The Story of a Family
The Robert Champagne Estate is above all a family business. The ROBERT family have been cultivating vines for several generations.
Henri ROBERT (1881-1948) began working on vineyards after the 1st World War when vines were planted “en foule”. In the 1930s he established the first group of wine-farmers in order to share equipment needed for pressing and wine-making.
At the start of the 2nd World War, André ROBERT (born in 1925) began to work in the vineyard with the use of a horse. In 1960 he bought the Estate as it is today with its amazing chalk-stone cellars for ageing dating back to the 19th century – and began to sell his own bottled champagne in 1962.
Bathed in the world of champagne throughout his childhood, Bertrand ROBERT took over the estate in 1961, with his wife Colette joining him in 1990.
The Birth of a Skill ...
A Passion
« In summer my mother would leave me to play at the foot of a grape vine. I would play while she worked in the vineyard. This was my first contact with the land – I was aged 4-5.
1 cm to the right, 2cm to the left, a little further forward, just a little backward – STOP! My father would say. The barrels had to be perfectly aligned! This was the first contact with wood - that noble and living material.
See the shed in the middle of the vines? We used to eat there at lunch time. It would have taken us an hour on foot with the horse to go back home for lunch, said my grand-father.
These are some of the reasons behind my passion for the job ».
Bertrand Robert
The 5th Generation
We have transmitted our joys and pleasure at working in the vineyard and in the cellar to the next generation. And the 5th generation, in the name of Claire ROBERT, has become part of the business since 2013.
The Chardonnay Grape Variety: the Mainstay of our Estate
Our vineyard is spread over 14 hectares, for the most part classified Grand Cru and Premier Cru plots.
We cultivate the 3 grape varieties : Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. But Chardonnay is the heart and soul of our estate and is the major share of all our blends. The Chardonnay is a fragile and delicate plant but contributes flowery, citric and mineral overtones to our blends making for elegant and racy wines.
Creating Blends: the Heart of our Passion
Each year we create a new vintage, just like a painter creating a new painting.
« The primary colour of my paintings is the Chardonnay wine bringing elegance, freshness and race to our champagnes. I then add spots, dashes of different colours thanks to Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in addition to blending the 6 different plots that we exploit. Each plot and each grape variety adds character and originality to the final work of art».
Each painting is unique and different but all reflect the same way of thinking of the ROBERT family.
Independant Wine-farmers Association
We produce our own grapes on our own plots of land, each bearing a name, an identity and a family history. In our cellars we follow the complete life cycle of our champagnes; from birth to full accomplishment. They are our children requiring care and attention, causing occasional anxiety but above all procuring enormous amounts of pleasure.
We are independant wine-farmers. Belonging to this professional organization implies a know-how and high level of respect in carrying out authentic wine-production with respect to tradition and healthy practice.
