After years of painstaking work in the region’s vineyards, Emile Paris decided to bottle Champagne under his own name in 1884. Located in the commune of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, just outside of Epernay, the Emile Paris brand was built on strict adherence to tradition and quality standards. The house received a boost in recognition in 1920 with the designation of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ as a Premier Cru site and began to export its wines throughout Europe. Sadly, however, in the next decade (as was the case with countless other small-scale wineries) business rapidly declined and, in his final years, Emile signed over the winery to his son. By the onset of World War II, Emile Paris Champagne had completely dissolved and was no longer making wine.
Nearly 75 years later, it was négociant Patrick Bigar who sought to bring this brand back to life. Sourcing from the house’s original vineyard sites, which had since been supplying grapes to Champagne monolith Philipponnat, Patrick enlisted the assistance of Gérard Cuperly as head winemaker. 2017 marked the first bottling under the Emile Paris name since 1940.
