After almost ten years of meticulous planning and construction, Champagne Taittinger’s Domaine Evremond in Kent was officially inaugurated by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh, on 26 September. The cellar door is set to open in the spring of 2025.
The estate’s impressive building, designed by French architect Giovanni Pace and constructed by the British firm Arkay, is primarily situated two-thirds underground. Its exterior design harmoniously blends with the picturesque landscape of the rolling Kent Downs.
Domaine Evremond now features a cutting-edge, gravity-fed winery alongside a naturally cool chalk cellar, capable of accommodating up to 1.5 million bottles.
The entrance of Domaine Evremond. Credit: Sylvia Wu
“This has been a decade in the making,” remarked Patrick McGrath MW, CEO of Taittinger’s UK partner Hatch Mansfield and co-founder of Domaine Evremond.
Initiated in 2015 by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger and McGrath, this venture was named after Charles de Saint-Evremond, a French poet and literary critic renowned for his role in bringing Champagne to England during the 17th century.
The co-founders selected the Stone Stile Farm location in Chilham, Kent, due to its rich, free-draining chalk soils and south-facing slopes, which closely resemble the Champagne terroir.
The initial vines were planted in 2017, leading to the first harvest in 2019. Following this, the producer spent two years securing planning approval from Ashford Borough Council to commence the construction of the winery in the spring of 2022.
The newly constructed underground cellar at Domaine Evremond can accommodate up to 1.5 million bottles.
Domaine Evremond is poised to release its inaugural wine, the Classic Cuvée NV, in March 2025, coinciding with the opening of the cellar door to the public.
Made from grapes sourced from the estate’s original plots, this traditional method sparkling wine consists of 80% grapes from the 2020 harvest and 20% from 2019. It underwent fermentation and maturation in stainless steel vats, boasting three years of lees ageing.
According to Alexandre Ponnavoy, chef de caves at Taittinger, the main goal of their new project is to achieve ‘pure elegance’ that reflects the local terroir while creating a reserve.
For the English estate, malolactic fermentation is crucial for handling the high acidity character typical of the maritime climate. Ponnavoy mentioned that the first releases will be produced without the use of barrels, highlighting that ‘more maturity of the vines’ is required for the base wine to develop the textural richness associated with oak aging.
The first Classic Cuvée features a blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Meunier. Taittinger, recognized for its emphasis on Chardonnay in their blends, plans to boost the Chardonnay content in their English wine as the vineyard matures.
Ponnavoy also noted that there are aspirations for future vintage releases, as aging will enhance the depth and complexity of the base wine.
Domaine Evremond represents a genuine emblem of camaraderie forged between the illustrious Champagne house and its British collaborators, further solidifying the rich tapestry of Anglo-French history intertwined with this venture, as expressed by Vitalie Taittinger, the president of the family-owned house with origins dating back to 1734.
Christelle Rinville, the vineyard director at Taittinger, emphasized the partnership between the Taittinger team and local growers, who contributed their historical insights into the soils and their proficiency in managing maritime terroir.
Gaskains Ltd, a family-owned enterprise, has been nurturing the lands in the renowned Garden of England for four generations. As one of the UK’s prominent apple producers, the company sold its initial parcel of farmland, which included apple and pear orchards, to Taittinger in 2015, but continued its participation in the venture.
Mark Gaskain, the director of the grower company, shared that humidity and wind pose significant challenges in managing the Evremond vineyards. To tackle these issues, the fruit grower installed windbreaks and modified apple sprayers to accommodate the newly planted wine grapes.
With the support of Rinville’s team, which offers viticultural knowledge and training alongside a fleet of tractors tailored to the vines’ width, the local team is executing their tasks with assurance and under the vineyard director’s close supervision.
Since the initial planting of vines in 2017, the estate has broadened its cultivation from the original 20 hectares, acquiring additional nearby lands. The latest acquisition took place in 2023, when Domaine Evremond added a 10-hectare chalky plot facing south on Hogbens Hill, located three miles from the winery. The estate anticipates its first harvest of Chardonnay in 2027.
The estate spans a total of 125 hectares, with 60 hectares dedicated to the cultivation of grapevines. The grape composition includes Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (45%), and Pinot Meunier (10%). The remaining 65 hectares consist of woodlands, meadows, and orchards of apples and pears.
Grapes: 55% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier
Alcohol: 12.5%
Dosage: 7g/l
The Classic Cuvée is a mixture of 80% grapes from the 2020 vintage and 20% from 2019, sourced from the estate’s original plots. This cuvée has undergone three years of aging on lees. It presents aromas of sour citrus and toasted notes, along with a hint of seashells. On the palate, its crisp and saline qualities showcase an English-style freshness attributed to the chalky soil. The texture benefits from malolactic fermentation, offering flavors of green fruits, honeyed white peach, and quince, accented by a dash of white pepper. The refined mousse culminates in a finish with a touch of crushed almond. Elegant and precise, this wine is poised to improve with further aging under cork, with a release date set for March 2025.