In 1824, Pierre-Gabriel Chandon conquered the English market, where Moët & Chandon prospered.
- Handwritten letter from Pierre-Gabriel Chandon to Monsieur Handerson, in London, England.
- Two pages + Envelope.
- In French.
- 20 cm x 25 cm.
- Epernay, March 1, 1824.
- Good condition conservation, just a stain (from wine?) on the first page that does not hinder reading; the 3rd and 4th pages (envelope) are torn in place of the stamp, probably when the recipient opened the letter.
- Unique piece.
Excerpts
The praise you give of our cellars, especially of the wines contained in them, and which you will reveal to our compatriots, will undoubtedly contribute to consolidating their reputation. We will act in such a way that this praise does not fall short of the truth and above all of our friendship (...).
The shipping season for our wines has just begun, and we will send you within a month the two or three cases of Ay wine that you want; you can be sure that we have taken great care in our selection. We have collected twelve bottles of old Ay wine from 1802, which we offer to you, begging you to drink it to our health (...).
Claude Moët, a wine merchant descended from an ancient family that had been living 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 and the royal courts of Germany, Spain and Russia. His grandson, Jean-Rémy Moët (1758-1841), a friend and supplier to Napoleon I and Tsar Alexander I, continued this strategy of opening up to foreign markets. He 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 for the company. The company then changed its name to Moët & Chandon.
Moët & Chandon is today the number one Champagne brand in the industry and the benchmark. Its reputation is exceptional: it is estimated that a bottle of Moët & Chandon is opened on average 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 home of the great 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 the vineyard workers.
Henderson was probably a leading English importer for the Champagne house.
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 the beautiful signature "Chandon" that gave its definitive name to the most famous Champagne brand in the world in 1832, attests to his dedication to the family business and his focus on developing the brand outside France.
Almost 200 years ago, the brand and the family made a point of providing exceptional service to both their customers and business partners. This unique letter shows the family creating lasting and loyal relationships, a recipe that has made Moët & Chandon one of the great French luxury brands, renowned worldwide.
