Among the most renowned and celebrated wines of the world there is - with no doubt at all - Champagne, the refined sparkling wine that has always been, since ever, symbol of class, elegance and well living. The Champagne region - which is located in the northern part of France, not far from Paris - is divided into five areas of which the three most important ones are Côte de Blancs, Montagne de Reims and la Vallée de la Marne, and the other two being Aube and Côte de Sézanne. The grapes which dominate the view of this region are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the three grapes used for the production of the renowned wines with the precious chains of bubbles. In the heart of the region of Marne is the headquarter, since the year of its establishment, of the Maison de Champagne Marie Stuart.

Champagne Marie Stuart headquarter

 The Maison is named after Marie Stuart, the generous and loyal queen, among the most charismatic personalities of Renaissance. Marie Stuart was welcomed in Reims by his aunt, abbess Renée de Lorraine, where she stayed for a long time in the Abbey Saint-Pierre-les Dames. During her stay, Marie Stuart conquered the heart of writers, poets and inhabitants of Reims. Through the Abbey where Marie Stuart stayed, is opened, when the revolution was still in the process, the route of Levant that later will be named after the renowned queen. In 1897 Maître Daubresse, a famous personality of Reims, established the Maison de Champagne and chooses, for the first time, the name of a queen to honor the more prestigious wine of the world: that's how the history of Champagne Marie Stuart was born.

 Marie Stuart is now considered among the most prestigious Champagne brands, and this achievement is confirmed by the class and the elegance of its wines. Since the year of its establishment, Maison de Champagne Marie Stuart has its headquarter in a suggestive and elegant architectural building which includes, besides the reception hall and the winery's offices, the cellars where the many millésime are being produced as well as another cellar where five millions bottles of Champagne age. The grapes used for the production of Champagne strictly come from selected vineyards located in the three great Champagne areas: Côte de Blancs, Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne. The assembling of wines (assemblage) is scrupulously selected, according the tradition of Marie Stuart, by wine maker and cellar chief Laurent Fedou.

	The aging cellar: hand remuage of Champagne bottles

 Marie Stuart is today part of Alain Thienot Group, seventh group of the Champagne which includes other four prestigious brands: Champagne Alain Thienot, Champagne Joseph Perrier, Champagne Canard-Duchêne and Champagne Malard. In the past four years Alain Thienot Group has been particularly focused in the introduction of its Champagne in the Italian market, concentrating its efforts in Champagne Marie Stuart, now present in many high quality hotels and restaurants of the main Italian cities, as well as taking actively part to many social and mundane events including the Woman Day. Alain Thienot Group also includes other wineries in the Bordeaux area such as Château de Ricaud, Château Rahoul, Château La Garance and Château Haut Gros Caillou.

 The production of Champagne Marie Stuart is scrupulous and every phase is strictly controlled. As the grapes have been pressed, the must is tasted before being used for the wine making procedures in order to use homogeneous quality of products for the same style of wine. At the end of vinification, all wines are being tasted, no matter their origin or vintage, and therefore are being classified by a specific tasting committee according to purely sensorial principles. The blend that will make the cuvée is controlled and corrected in subsequent phases and until it does not receive the unanimous acceptance from all the tasters who created it.

 The selection of Champagne Marie Stuart certainly is interesting and of very good quality. Champagne Brut Tradition, produced with the classic combination Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, reveals a refined and elegant delicacy both to the nose and to the mouth. Truly convincing and of great class is Champagne Brut Rosé Tradition - which shows a beautiful and enchanting pink color - with its fresh and fragrant fruit aromas and taste, it is extremely agreeable and well made. Another pleasing surprise is offered by Champagne Demi-Sec Tradition - a pretty rare style and not really common when compared to the huge availability of bruts - which expresses its remarkable elegance to the nose and confirmed to the mouth by its slightly sweet and round taste: a truly well made combination and of great agreeability. Champagne Brut Millésime 1997 impresses for its refined complexity and for the variety of aromas, full bodied, it also confirms in the mouth its indisputable class with a pleasing roundness and personality. Finally, at the end of this selection, there is the excellent Champagne Cuvée de la Sommelière which fully benefits from the five years of aging in its lees. Cuvée de la Sommelière reveals the full elegance of Chardonnay to which is joined the good support of Pinot Noir: the result is convincing and of great class, elegant and refined aromas that are confirmed by taste as well as a good structure and roundness. A very well made Champagne of sure elegance and class.

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