Duval-Leroy

Duval-Leroy is a Champagne producer based in Vertus, a village in the Côte des Blancs region of Champagne. The house, founded in 1859, produces both vintage and non-vintage cuvées as well as a line of organic wines. The house of Duval-Leroy is also known for its pioneering role in promoting a sustainable development model for its viticulture.

Founded in 1859 when Edouard Leroy, a wine trader from the town of Villers-Franqueux, formed a partnership with Jules Duval, a grape-grower and winemaker from Vertus, Duval-Leroy comprises 200 hectares (490 acres) of vines under cultivation. This vineyard consists mostly of chardonnay grapes grown in villages classified as Grand Cru and Premier Cru, and pinot noir grapes from villages, also classified as Grand Cru and Premier Cru, in the Montagne de Reims.

Since 1991, and the early death of Jean Charles Duval, the company has been run by his widow, Carol Duval-Leroy. She has presided over the steady growth of the company, and has left her mark on the champagne world as well, becoming, in 2007, the first woman ever to be nominated chairman of the Association Viticole Champenoise (AVC), the champagne region 's winemakers association.

“ Fleur de Champagne”, the Duval-Leroy Brut Premier Cru cuvee, and « Femme de champagne », the prestige vintage cuvee made only on exceptional years, are Duval-Leroy’s two flagship champagnes.

Duval-Leroy is a family owned business since 1859. It began with the partnership of Mr. Duval and Mr. Leroy in Vertus, a village in the Côte des Blancs.

A few years earlier, a still unofficial ranking of champagne crus had been released, establishing a hierarchy between villages and their terroir. Edouard Leroy a wine merchant from Villers-Franqueux understood the commercial value of such a ranking. Higher quality champagnes, from highly rated areas could be sold for a premium price and insure him a faithful following of demanding customers. If only he could guarantee the constant quality of his champagnes year after year. For this he needed to rely on a trustworthy winemaker with the same concern for quality. That winemaker would turn out to be Jules Duval.

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Wikipedia