Sherbrooke Cellars

Winery

Charles Ellner has become an OVERNIGHT SUCCESS for Sherbrooke Cellars. An estate with a laundry list of high scores and reviews with the Wine Spectator but without a lot of history in the U.S. market. The Estate is situated in Epernay, the heart of the Champagne region, and was founded in 1972 by Charles Ellner, a professional riddler who had been buying his own vineyards on the side and making small production champagnes for a small but dedicated clientele. Since then, Charles Ellner has grown to become a large and worldwide esteemed family-owned brand. In the hands of the fourth generation, the house now encompasses more than 54 hectares of vineyards in 15 villages situated throughout the principal vinegrowing areas of Champagne (Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Valle de la Marne, Région de Sézanne, L’Aisne and L’Aube) and of course Epernay, producing about 1,000,000 bottles annually with their own styles, flavors and consistency in quality, as one cuvee succeeds another. The diverse Champagne Charles Ellner brand will suit all palates for any occasions.

Seventy percent of their production is domaine, whereas the other thirty percent is purchased in grapes (not juice, a big difference) through very stringent selection. None of the wines see malolactic fermentation. They are all fermented in stainless-steel tanks to preserve fresh fruit flavors (only the Chardonnay blended into the vintage wines spends a few months in giant oak barrels between primary fermentation and bottling). They are then left to sit on their lees for a minimum of 4 years (the law is only 18 months) to allow the wines to soften a bit, fill out, and become beautifully drinkable upon release yet ageable at the same time. They use no Pinot Meunier, as they don’t deem it part of a long-ageing blend.

Visit the winery at www.champagne-ellner.com

brand fact sheet