The history of the Maison De Venoge begins in 1837 when Henri-Marc De Venoge founded the Maison De Champagne De Venoge in the French municipality of Mareuil-sur-Ay. A man of innate entrepreneurial skills, De Venoge is the creator of the first ever illustrated label in the history of Champagne, in 1838. And again: when the maison chooses the blue ribbon of the Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit as its emblem one of the most iconic labels of all time, the Cordon Bleu. La Maison de Venoge has been a worldwide ambassador for Champagne for over 180 years with refined products of absolute excellence.

Alongside the Champagne, the symbol of the Maison, the Princes cuvées designed in 1858 in honor of the Dutch royal house stand out for the elegant bottle that recalls the decanters used by the European aristocracy to serve Champagne in the early 20th century century. At the top of the range, the Louis XV cuvée is produced exclusively from grapes from the best Grand Cru villages and only in the best vintages.

The House is located on prestigious Avenue de Champagne, at number 33, facing the magnificent wrought iron gate of the former Hôtel Gallice, restored in 2015 by Maison de Venoge.

Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, 20% Meunier

Ageing: 3 years

Dosage: 6.5g RS/l

Cordon bleu is composed of 20% Reserve wines from the past 2 years. It is a reflection of the style and elegance of the House.

Intense nose, the first sip is fruity & persistent. Bringing roundness & vivacity together, this Champagne works well as an aperitif or with a red fruit dessert.

James Suckling – 91 points

A vinous and flavorful rosé Champagne with a delicious array of blood orange, cranberry, strawberry compote and walnut. Relatively deep orange-salmon color. Medium body with a broad yet fine mousse. Some salty, savory notes at the end. Richer nature to this and comes off as savory. 60% pinot noir, 20% pinot meunier and 20% chardonnay. Base wine 2018, with 8% pinot noir red wine. 6.9g/L dosage. Disgorged 2022. Drink now.

Wine Advocate – 89 points

De Venoge’s NV Cordon Bleu Brut Rosé blends 60% Pinot Noir with 20% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, including a 7% portion of red wine. It is a nice salmon colored Rosé with delicate and elegant fruit on the fresh and almost floral bouquet. The wine is lithe, fresh, round and elegant on the palate and finishes pretty vinous. Aged for three years on the lees, it drinks very well as an aperitif and with red fruits. My sample is entirely based on the 2013 vintage and was disgorged earlier this year with 7.8 grams per liter of dosage. (Most likely by error, the date of disgorgement is not indicated on the back label.) Tasted November 2017.

Champagne de Venoge’s finest wines come along in carafe-shaped bottles that one might call kitsch, but I like them. They don’t fit in my fridge door, but my fridge is big and the Champagne’s good enough to deserve its own shelf and an upright position. The prestige cuvées Louis XV and Louis d’Or are remarkably elegant and vinous sparkling wines with structure, great complexity and also finesse. The 2006 Brut Rosé is one of the finest you can get, and the 1995 Louis XV is a greatly matured and generous Champagne that is still terribly fresh even though it was disgorged more than ten years ago in 2006. Cellar master Isabelle Tellier is doing a great job; there is not a single disappointing wine in the current portfolio that starts with the easy-drinking Cordon Bleu and offers some sophisticated cuvées in the Princes range. Champage de Venoge is—despite its glorious but volatile history (in terms of frequent changes of ownership)—still an underrated rising star in the Champagne region. Champagne de Venoge is now owned by Lanson-BCC.

Wine Spectator – 91 points

This wine is poised between softness from the relatively high dosage and a tauter texture from the red-currant and citrus flavors. The Champagne is very ready to drink.