Handwritten letter from Veuve Clicquot (1861)

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In 1861, Veuve Clicquot became one of the first female entrepreneurs and began promoting the brand in Italy.

• Handwritten letter from the company founded by Veuve Clicquot, born Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, to Clossman & Co, in Bordeaux.
• One page.
• In French.
• 19.1cm x 22.9cm.
• Reims, France, March 6, 1861.
• Good state.
• Unique piece.

Gentlemen, in accordance with your wish expressed in your esteemed letter of January 11th (...), I have just sent to Claude Blanc & CO, in Marseille, a box containing 60 bottles of white Champagne wine, a great premium sparkling wine quality . Please find attached the invoice, totaling 270 French francs (...). I chose for this small delivery a very delicate wine that will meet the expectations of your friends in Italy.

A French businesswoman whose innovative techniques revolutionized the French champagne industry, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (1777 - 1866) married winemaker François Clicquot in Reims, who died six years later. A single mother and widow, or "veuve" in French, she took over the management of her business, despite the customs of the time and the Napoleonic Code, which emphasized the role of women in the home. She was one of the first French businesswomen and the first woman to run a prestigious Champagne brand.

Under his leadership, the company perfected the method champenoise, using a technique called remuage or riddling, which allowed sediment to be removed from Champagne on a commercial scale. It was also Veuve Clicquot's audacity that made the brand a success: it actively promoted the brand in the royal courts of Europe, bypassing Napoleon's Continental blockade. For example, it decided to send champagne to Russia, where, after tasting it in 1811, Tsar Alexander refused to drink any other wine, purchasing 10,000 high-proof bottles of Veuve Clicquot's 1811 cuvée, selling for the equivalent of $100. per bottle.

Marseille, one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean, was key to the distribution of Clicquot Champagne. Clossman was an esteemed wine producer in Bordeaux since 1770, a business partner for the Champagne brands.

This unique letter is an exceptional example of the Veuve Clicquot company's marketing efforts, which made the company one of the most respected champagne houses in the year of its death in 1866. Founded in 1772, the Veuve Clicquot brand was purchased in 1986 by Louis Vuitton.