Roederer is negotiating the takeover of Domaine Pierre Damoy: a new record in sight?

"Champagne Louis Roederer announces that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with the Domaine Pierre Damoy, located in Gevrey-Chambertin ( Côte de Nuits – 21), with a view to its acquisition (…) This operation is in line with the family group's desire to bring together exceptional wines and Houses around Champagne Louis Roederer, respecting their history, their identity, and their roots in the greatest wine-growing terroirs,” explains the press release. And indeed, the sale of SCEV shares Domaine Pierre Damoy is already prominently featured on the Burgundy website of Safer (a land development and rural settlement company); a sale to the Rouzaud family (currently represented by Frédéric Rouzaud, 58), owners of Roederer. "The completion of the transaction remains subject to the conclusion of final agreements and the fulfillment of customary conditions precedent," the press release states; another way of saying that this is probably just a question of time.

Managed by Pierre Damoy, 61, The Domaine Pierre Damoy's history is rooted in Gevrey-Chambertin at the beginning of the 20th century when it was acquired by Julien Damoy. This self-made man from Normandy began his career as a grocer's assistant before moving to Paris to create his own eponymous grocery store, which would spawn many others; the Julien Damoy brand, a network of grocery stores in Northern France, employed 500 people in 1905 and up to 2,400 in 1936.

The biggest owner of Chambertin Clos -of- Bèze

Today, the Domaine Pierre Damoy owns nearly eight hectares (ha) across three Grand Cru vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin: 5.36 ha in Chambertin Clos of Bèze (out of a total of 15.3887 hectares) of which he is the largest owner, the remainder being divided between Chapelle-Chambertin (2.22 ha out of 5.48 ha) and Chambertin (48 ares out of 12.90 ha); the Domaine Damoy also owns Gevrey-Chambertin village Clos Tamisot (1.45 ha) of which he has a monopoly, but also other plots in Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle- musigny And fixin villages , as well as Burgundies AOC regional.

The amount of this transaction, which is therefore not yet finalized "and until it's signed at the notary's office, you never know," as the Burgundian saying goes, has of course not been disclosed, but if we consider recent transactions involving grand cru wines, the estimates are staggering. On a "reasonable" basis for grand cru wines of this caliber, 2 million euros... ouvrée (one hectare has 24 ouvrées ), a quick calculation (24 ouvrées x 8 hectares x 2 million euros) brings us to a sum close to 400 million euros, and in terms of purchasing vineyards in the great wines of Côte de Nuits We're not talking about a few tens of millions of euros here. In short, everyone is now wondering if the previous (sad?) "record" for a small domaine centered around a vintage, established with the acquisition by François Pinault in 2017 of grand cru Clos of Tart In Morey-Saint-Denis, for 280 million euros, will it be beaten?

About Champagne Louis Roederer

Founded in 1776, Louis Roederer, now headed by Frédéric Rouzaud, is one of the last great family-owned and independent Champagne houses. Born and still based in Reims, where its champagnes are notably produced, cuvée The multi-vintage Collection and Cristal houses bear the name of the man who, in 1841, had the visionary idea of ​​acquiring his own vineyards in order to control every stage of the winemaking process. By acquiring plots in the finest terroirs of Champagne, in the Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blancs, and the Vallée de la Marne, Louis Roederer began to build a vineyard that today covers 250 hectares, 135 of which are certified organic (AB). The current team is led by Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, the cellar master and vineyard manager.

About Roederer Collection

Roederer Collection refers to all the wine estates and activities brought together around the Maison of Champagne Louis Roederer. Today, this group comprises more than 1,000 employees worldwide, 12 wine estates, more than 1,100 hectares of vineyards, three distribution subsidiaries (Maisons Marques & Domaines), a maison trading ( Maison Descaves), a corporate foundation dedicated to art and culture, and a collection of exceptional hotels and guest houses within wine estates, and a first hotel, the Christiania in Val d'Isère.

Christophe TUPINIER

Rédacteur en chef des dégustations