Handwritten letter from Pierre-Gabriel Chandon (1824)

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In 1824, Pierre-Gabriel Chandon conquered the English market where Moët & Chandon would prosper.

• Handwritten letter from Pierre-Gabriel Chandon to Monsieur Handerson, in London, England.
• Two pages + Envelope.
• In French.
• 20 cm x 25 cm.
• Epernay, on March 1, 1824.
• Good condition, just a stain (from wine?) on the first page that does not interfere with reading; the 3rd and 4th page (envelope) are torn where the stamp was, probably when the recipient opened the letter.
• Unique piece.

Extracts

The praise you give of our cellars, especially the wines contained in them, and which you will reveal to our compatriots, will undoubtedly help to consolidate their reputation. We will act in such a way that this compliment does not fall short of the truth and above all of our friendship (...).

The shipping season for our wines has just begun, we will send within a month the two or three cases of Ay wine you want; have no doubts about the care with which we made our choice. We gathered twelve bottles of old wine from Ay, from the year 1802, which we offered him, asking him to drink it to our health (...).

Claude Moët, a wine merchant descended from an ancient family resident in the Champagne region since the 14th century, founded his house in Epernay in 1743. From the beginning, Claude Moët supplied champagne to Louis XV, the royal courts of Germany, Spain and Russia. His grandson, Jean-Rémy Moët (1758-1841), friend and supplier of Napoleon Ier and Tsar Alexandre Ier, continued this strategy of opening up to foreign markets. It really expanded the house, competing, for example, with Madame Veuve Clicquot in Russia.

The Chandon name was added to the company when Jean-Rémy Moët gave half of the company to his son-in-law Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles in 1832, and the other half to his son, Victor Moët, both of whom were already working at the company. The company then changed its name to Moët & Chandon.

Moët & Chandon is today number one in the profession and the reference Champagne brand. Its reputation is exceptional: it is estimated that an average bottle of Moët & Chandon is opened every second somewhere in the world. The house's vineyards cover a total of 771 hectares, the largest in the Champagne region. In Epernay, the company's headquarters and the historic headquarters of the major Champagne brands, at least nine streets are named after the family that built fifteen buildings, including the hospital, two churches, schools and more than fifty houses for vineyard workers.

Henderson was probably an English importer of first importance to the house of Champagne.

In 1824, Pierre-Gabriel Chandon had not yet inherited half of the company but his work was already highly appreciated by his father-in-law Jean-Remy Moët. This long handwritten letter, with that beautiful signature "Chandon" who gave - in 1832 - his definitive name to the most famous Champagne brand in the world, proves his dedication to the family business and his focus on developing the brand outside of France.

Almost 200 years ago, the brand and the family made a point of providing exceptional service to both its customers and its business partners. This unprecedented letter shows the family creating lasting and faithful relationships, a recipe that has made Moët & Chandon one of the great French luxury brands, renowned worldwide.