Claire Taittinger, the wife of Champagne boss Pierre-Emmanuel, has acquired a small domaine in the Savoie region of eastern France, it has emerged.
In partnership with Savoie negociant and producer, Philippe Viallet, Taittinger stumped up €2m (£1.58m, US$2.58m) for the 18ha (hecatare) Domaine Les Fils de René Quénard.
The domaine is in the Chignin-Bergeron appellation, producing 100% Roussanne wines – Bergeron is the local name for Roussanne.
Taittinger, whose husband Pierre Emmanuel is general director of the eponymous Champagne house, said the investment was ‘totally independent’ from the business in Reims.
‘I’m doing it on a personal level,’ she told news agency AFP. ‘Because I have loved the mountains…since I was very small. My father was an officer in the Chasseurs Alpins [elite French mountain troops].’
Under the new ownership, the domaine will double its Roussanne vineyards and open a restaurant and shop on the Savoie wine route. It currently produces around 150,000 bottles per year.
Written by Wink Lorch, and Oliver Styles
