Champagne Telmont acts in the name of Mother Nature

Champagne Telmont comes from the earth and is indebted to it. The more gratitude and respect we show the earth, the more it will clear a path to excellence in return. This virtuous circle is the defining feature of familial champagne house Telmont.

Henri Lhital founded the House on his land of Damery, near Epernay, in 1912. Since then, Champagne Telmont has defended its vision of viticulture and the values it holds dear: loyalty, humility and courage. The House revels in its singularity, proclaimed by its motto: Nec Pluribus Impar, unlike any other. Upholding its legacy, Telmont took its first steps towards organic conversion and obtained, in 2017, its first certification for a portion of the vineyards of its estate.

Champagne Telmont is determined to pursue its ambition: carving a path towards a 100% organic house using production methods with reduced impact on its natural surroundings. Telmont has decided to act “in the name of Mother Nature”, thus advocating for the preservation of nature’s gifts.

The House of Telmont has set five tangible objectives.

Objective #1: preserving terroir and biodiversity at Champagne Telmont

Today, 90% of the estate’s 24.5 hectares are certified in organic agriculture or are in the process of conversion. The aim is to convert 100% of the estate by 2025. Telmont Champagne’s will support partner winegrowers (55 hectares) in their shift towards organic agriculture (51% of their vineyards are already certified or in conversion). This ambitious transformation targets the conversion to organic agriculture of 100% of all cultivated areas by 2031 for both the Telmont estate and partner winegrowers. The House encourages biodiversity across the entire estate, both in the vineyards and in the adjacent natural areas. To this end, 5000 shrubs will serve as ‘insect hotels’ in the Telmont vineyards, with a further 13,800 shrubs in partner vineyards, thereby preserving species diversity and promoting sustainable carbon binding.

Objective #2: generalizing eco-design

Telmont is breaking away from ordinary champagne codes. As of 2021, the House decided to focus on “the bottle and nothing but the bottle”, banning all production and use of outer packaging or gift boxes. This was a first in Champagne. In addition, the House discontinued the use of transparent bottles, made from 0% recycled glass, in 2021 and replaced them with only green bottles. These are 100% recyclable and contain up to 87% recycled glass. Telmont has also abandoned bespoke bottles weighing 900 grams or more, choosing to focus exclusively on the standard green champagne bottle weighing 835 grams. Following a successful test phase with Verallia, Telmont is progressively adopting a bottle weighing only 800 grams, a potential new standard for Champagne bottles. Lighter bottles use less glass and therefore have a lower carbon emission and footprint.

Objective #3: Transitioning to 100% renewable electricity and promoting the use of ‘green’ energy sources for all its activities

To this end, the Telmont atelier in Damery runs 100% on renewable energy. The entire on-site vehicle fleet is powered by electric energy, and all viticulture tractors run on biofuel.

Objective #4: overhauling the logistics chain, upstream and downstream, to limit greenhouse gas emissions indirectly related to its business

Telmont has totally eliminated air freight for its supply and distribution and will select transporters according to their CSR score. By 2025, the House will use Neoline sailing ships for sea freight on the trans-Atlantic route.

Objective #5: intensifying efforts in terms of transparency and information

Each bottle is numbered, enabling its production itinerary to be traced, and all labels contain transparent production-related information and detailed contents.

“In Nomine Terrae” (In the Name of Mother Nature) will dictate the House’s actions for decades to come. The House will share the unbiased outcome of each of these five objectives with the general public through House communication. The Rémy Cointreau Group, having become the majority shareholder of the House in October 2020, wholeheartedly backs this ambitious program, which Ludovic du Plessis, President and shareholder of the House, will implement together with Bertrand Lhôpital, great-grandson of the House’s founder, Henri.

“My first tasting experience of Telmont Champagne was a beautiful discovery. The wines had a unique personality, presence, complexity and maturity, all the while preserving a remarkable ethereality. Backed by the Rémy Cointreau Group and alongside Bertrand Lhôpital, I feel very lucky to be leading this incredible adventure. Telmont is a house with character, boasting a legacy of craftsmanship and a strong ambition, poised to become the standard bearer of a new relationship with nature. We have one foot rooted in tradition and one in modernity, and both feet on (and in) the earth.”

-Ludovic du Plessis, President of the House of Telmont.

“I’m proud of the wine-growing legacy which has been handed down in my family from one generation to the next. This heritage enables us to be in close contact with the earth and people, to work with the soil and create our wines the Telmont way. When Rémy Cointreau joined the adventure, contributing their proven commitment to terroir and savoir-faire, it added a new dimension to the quest for excellence which has driven our family for years.”

-Bertrand Lhôpital, Cellar Master and Head of Viticulture of the House of Telmont.