Just north-west of Reims, tucked into the beautiful Champagne countryside, lies the small village of Cauroy-lès-Hermonville.
With a population of only a few hundred people, it is a world away from the grand Champagne houses and bustling avenues of Épernay. This is a quieter, more intimate side of Champagne – a village where vineyards, family and generations of wine-making are part of everyday life.
And this is home to Jean-Marc Vigreux and his family.
For this special family, champagne is not simply something that happens inside a bottle. It begins here – in the village, in the vineyard and in the work that goes into nurturing each harvest.
There is something rather special about knowing where your champagne comes from. When you raise a glass of Jean-Marc champagne, you are tasting the work of a family producer rooted in a real place, rather than simply choosing a famous label from a supermarket shelf.
Cauroy-lès-Hermonville is part of the Massif de Saint-Thierry, an area of Champagne known for its vineyards and gently undulating countryside. Here, the landscape is a mixture of vines, farmland and woodland, with the villages dotted naturally among the vineyards. It is an environment where the seasons matter.
The winter pruning, the arrival of spring, flowering, summer growth and the anticipation of harvest all form part of the rhythm of life for a champagne grower. And when you are a family producer like Jean-Marc, that connection to the land is particularly personal.
From Jean-Marc’s village to your glass
One of the things we love about Jean-Marc champagne is that it offers the opportunity to enjoy quality champagne without paying simply for a famous name.
And that is perhaps what makes Cauroy-lès-Hermonville worth discovering.
It isn’t trying to be Épernay.
It doesn’t need to be.
It is a small champagne village with vineyards on its doorstep, families who know the land and producers like Jean-Marc who continue the tradition of making Champagne their own way.
So, the next time you open a bottle of Jean-Marc Vigreux-Frère Champagne, take a moment before you pour.
Think beyond the bubbles.
Think of the little village in northern France where the story began.
Cauroy-lès-Hermonville.
And, happily for us, the home of some rather delicious Champagne. 🥂