The House of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin has been located on Saint-Nicaise Hill since its acquisition of Champions in 1907. Champions had set up business on the hill in the 19th century above the crayères, former chalk quarries which the company converted into wine cellars. The simple and meticulous architecture of this Champagne House ideally showcases the functional nature of its buildings. The House also boasts the most extensive network of crayères, decorated by tableaux sculpted by artist Gustave Navlet.
Destroyed during World War I and rebuilt in the 1920s, the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne House is a showcase for industrial buildings in the characteristic interwar style. The design of the oldest buildings is nevertheless simple, meticulous and well-proportioned. However, these buildings retain a modern feel due to the omnipresent reinforced concrete used in their design.
Underground, the house has the densest network of crayères open to visitors at the present time. It comprises more than 300 ventilation shafts across an area of over 240,000m², together with 24km of galleries. These chalk quarries date back to the Middle Ages and the start of modern times. The galleries and cellars that connect the quarries were built in the 19th and 20th centuries. Two haut-reliefs play their part in making the crayères unique. These were sculpted between 1907 and 1914 by Gustave Navlet, who was commissioned by Alfred Werlé, Madame Clicquot's successor.
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Champagne Veuve Clicquot – 1 rue Albert Thomas – 51100 Reims
Tel.: +33 3 26 89 53 90
