Mumm

THE MUMM STORY BEGAN IN 1761, WHEN PETER ARNOLD MUMM, BORN OF A LONG LINE OF BARONS AND KNIGHTS STRETCHING BACK TO THE TWELFTH CENTURY, PROPRIETORS OF SUBSTANTIAL VINEYARDS, SET UP A WINE MERCHANTS IN COLOGNE. WHEN HIS THREE SONS GOTTLIEB, JACOBUS AND PHILIPP JOINED THE BUSINESS, THEY TOOK A KEEN INTEREST IN THE CHAMPAGNE REGION, WHOSE SPARKLING WINES WERE ENJOYING GROWING POPULARITY IN EUROPE.

IN 1827, THE BROTHERS FOUNDED A Champagne business, and as a tribute to their origins, they added their armorial eagle to the labels. Over the years, it became established as a Mumm emblem and remains there to this day.

To conquer their new market, the Mumm brothers called on larger than life figures, the De Bary barons. This FrancoGerman family, descended from knights of Tournai, had established itself in the Reims marketplace in 1837 and played an active role in Champagne life. The two generations of De Bary barons proved themselves loyal ambassadors for Mumm.

Gottlieb, Jacobus and Philipp managed their business with a single goal: controlling grape quality by retaining “Only the best”. They then created another of the firm’s strongest assets - a privileged partnership with vine-growers situated on the best Champagne terroir. Almost one hundred years later, these fine locations would be renamed “grand crus”. From the 1840s onwards, after the acquisition of its first plots in Verzenay, Mumm turned this guideline into a principle, giving every new vineyard its own press.

Georges Hermann Mumm, a descendant of one of the original founders, took control of the House in 1852. In order to adapt its premises to expanding production, he ordered extensive construction work to be undertaken on the site of the former ramparts, hollowing out numerous underground cellars in the chalky rock of the Coquebert neighbourhood.

In building up the House’s vineyards, George laid the foundations for its policy of excellence. As a man of learning and ambition, he pursued progress in all its forms. He tracked scientific research in the recently established discipline of oenology, set up a system of bonuses to reward workers or support them in misfortune and drove industry and business development forward, travelling the world to conquer new markets. He was also a determined business leader with an innate sense of brand awareness. In 1876, he trademarked the Cordon Rouge name and label that has subsequently come to symbolise the entire House.

His broad range of interests, business acumen and ongoing quest for excellence propelled Mumm to universal acclaim; once King of Wine, Mumm became the Wine of Kings. As of 1850, the Royal families of Austria-Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, Prussia, Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden and Norway successively succumbed to the pleasures of Mumm. In 1884, the House was given a Royal Warrant of Appointment to supply the Court of Great Britain, a mark of trust that it retains to this day.

In 1900, Mumm produced some three million bottles. Known for its famous red sash, the brand was marketed in over 20 countries and was enjoyed well beyond France and Europe, including the USA, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, the Philippines, Siam, Singapore, Ceylon, New Zealand and China. Over the years, Mumm has been served to numerous international dignitaries invited to lunch or dine at the Elysée Palace while on official state visits to France. For example, US President John F. Kennedy was served a Mumm Cordon Rouge 1952, while his Majesty King Hussein I of Jordan and President Gorbachev sampled a Blanc de Blancs Mumm de Cramant; the Prince and Princess of Wales, and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were offered a Mumm de Mumm 1982 and US President Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed a Mumm Cordon Rouge.

In 1876, a single idea changed the course of Mumm’s future. To assert the quality of its Champagne, Mumm’s agent Joseph Jourdan came up with the idea of decorating the bottles with the famous red sash of the Legion of Honour. For some

esteemed customers, a few bottles were decorated with a sash of genuine red silk, sealed with an oval label marked “Cordon Rouge”. It was an overnight success. The red sash became a rallying call for connoisseurs who, in the 1900s, began ordering “a bottle of Cordon Rouge” instead of “a bottle of Champagne”.

The choice of colour was no accident. Red not only refers to the Legion of Honour, it is also enduringly associated with luxury, prestige and value.

In 1900, the Cordon Rouge cuvée, by now a global standard, adopted the slogan, “The most expensive, therefore the best” in the United Kingdom, and became the subject of a musical composition in the United States. A symbol of the firm’s excellence and savoir-faire throughout the world, the red sash became an icon, repeatedly referred to, first in paintings and posters, then in films, plays and comic strips.

There is a ritual to the tasting of Mumm Champagne. It is intense, demands respect for certain rules, and heightens both the anticipation and the sense of an experience shared. To emphasise the ritual, Mumm has developed a range of accessories dedicated to the art of

The iconic red sash of Mumm Cordon Rouge, a symbol of bravery and prestige

impromptu tasting. First, the dramatic sabrage, a technique invented by cavalry officers whose impatience to open bottles that were, at the time, sealed by string and wax or tar, prompted them to use the back of their sabre’s blade. The tradition was first introduced at Mumm at the end of the 19th century by Alexandre De Bary, a former cavalry officer who became a company director. He embraced dandyism, the intellectual, philosophical and artistic movement of his day and moved in high circles, regularly inviting guests to the Maison Cordon Rouge where the sabrage marked the official opening of the occasion. Since then, to maintain a tradition combining elegance, convention and freedom, Mumm has commissioned well-known designers to create a range of remarkable sabres.

Mumm Champagne is a byword for celebration. Due to its history and endless quest for excellence, it is not surprising that Mumm should be associated with once-in-a-lifetime moments that are loaded with emotion. The association is embodied by the jeroboam of Mumm Cordon Rouge, a label synonymous with Champagne throughout the world. Mumm has become the Champagne that rewards Formula One champions on the podium. And who could forget Commander JeanBaptiste Charcot, who led the first French expedition to the Antarctic in 1904 and celebrated Bastille Day on the ice floe with a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge?

The search for quality begins with the choice of terroir. For Mumm, quality is a state of mind. It began with the founders, who wanted “Only the best”, it manifests itself in an approach that promotes authenticity and respect for Champagne traditions, and it survives in a spirit of tradition and innovation.

In Champagne, terroir is classified by cru according to the composition of the soil, exposure and the grape varieties. This classification currently lists 17 villages as grand crus and 42 villages as premier crus, out of a total of 319 winemaking locations in the Champagne region.

When Mumm bought their first plot in Verzenay in 1840, Mumm was taking the first steps in the creation of a winemaking domain dominated by pinot noir. As the domain expanded over the years, it acquired plots on all the historic Champagne terroir.

Today, the Mumm vineyard is absolutely exceptional. Its 218 hectares, including 160 hectares of grand crus, are located in eight historic villages that express the full authenticity of the Champagne terroir—Aÿ, Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzy, Verzenay, Mailly, Avize and Cramant. With 170 hectares on the Montagne de Reims, this winemaking domain is strongly dominated by the Pinot Noir that is so expressive of the Mumm style. It extends to the Chardonnay grand crus in Cramant and Avize on the Côte des Blancs (31 hectares) and the Grande Vallée de la Marne—mainly Pinot Meunier (17 hectares). These plots provide enough grapes to meet 25 per cent of the needs of production, with 75 per cent met by independent growers with whom Mumm enjoys privileged partnerships in keeping with the principle instigated by the Mumm brothers in 1827. It is the combination of these supplies and the Mumm domain itself that allows the Champagne house to remain true to its style and express it consistently, year after year.

Didier Mariotti has been Chef de Caves at Mumm since 2006. The 12th in a lineage responsible for perpetuating a heritage that is nearly two hundred years old, he blends each of the cuvées in the purest Mumm style, whilst adding his own sensitivity and personal touch.

Blending is a highly creative exercise, and aided by his team of oenologists, Didier Mariotti tastes and studies around 2,000 samples every year. Once he has “mapped out” the clear and reserve wines, he selects the best blends for each of the cuvées.

With his expert mastery of the Mumm style and his organoleptic and historical knowledge of each wine, he is able to maintain the style where freshness and intensity compose a subtle balance. This infinitely complex art of blending attains its supreme expression in the Mumm Cordon Rouge cuvée, which in some years comprises up to a hundred different crus.

Since it is the reserve wines that hold the secret to this consistency of style, Didier Mariotti pays particular attention to the way these wines are aged. To conserve their power and freshness from year to year, some are aged on the lees to develop fullness, whereas others are kept for over five years to accentuate the maturity of a cuvée. In years when the grape harvest is outstanding, Didier Mariotti creates a vintage, and then only the wines of that year are blended. Finally, in the last stage before bottling, a liqueur de tirage is added to produce a second fermentation. This gives rise to a multitude of fine bubbles and determines the freshness and power of Mumm’s Champagnes. ❧

Tasting notes

MUMM CORDON ROUGE

Appearance: A clear and bright golden yellow in colour

Aroma: The nose reveals initial aromas of white and yellow peaches, apricots, and tropical notes of lychee or pineapple. It then opens up with the fragrance of vanilla before developing notes of milky caramel, breadcrumbs and yeast, culminating in aromas of dried fruit and honey

Flavour: Freshness bursts onto the palate, followed by great length in the mouth, and subtle, rich bubbles. Perfect balance combines with round, ample vinosity, with complex aromas of fresh fruit and caramel MUMM ROSÉ

Appearance: Pale salmon pink in colour, with light orange shades; abundant bubbles form a delicate and lively froth

Aroma: Aromas of summer berries and pink grapefruit, with dominant notes of small fresh fruit such as strawberry, cherry and redcurrant, developing with light notes of vanilla and caramel

Flavour: After a lively and very energetic burst of flavor, the liquid reveals aromas of summer berries, displaying elegance, subtlety and freshness MUMM MILLÉSIMÉ 2006

Appearance: A luminous and bright golden yellow colour, with fine, lingering bubbles

Aroma: The nose reveals a superbly complex wine. Notes of apple and pear, with yellow fruit such as apricot and mirabelle plum develop into notes of dried fruit and nuts with hints of pastry

Flavour: After a strong start, the wine develops gradually. It then reveals the increasingly perceptible presence of Pinot Noir, giving unctuousness to the structure before unfolding into a long, precise finish MUMM BLANC DE BLANCS

Appearance: Light and delicate bubbles dissolve in a bright and luminous liquid, shot through with green and soft yellow glints

Aroma: Notes of scented white blossoms, lemon and fresh fruit

Flavour: An elegant and subtly mineral taste leads into a smooth body and an intense, expressive finish that illustrates its ageing potential CUVÉE R. LALOU MILLÉSIMÉ 2002

Appearance: A beautiful and radiant gold colour

Aroma: Aromas of fresh and dried fruits, with gourmand notes of vanilla, nougat and honey

Flavour: A fresh burst before the wine settles. The generous mouthfeel builds to a final crescendo and a beautiful long finish

Didier Mariotti

DIDIER MARIOTTI BEGAN HIS CAREER IN CHAMPAGNE INTERNING AT MÖET & CHANDON IN 1995, BEFORE GOING ON TO COMPLETE A WINEMAKING DEGREE IN REIMS. OFFICIALLY TAKING OVER THE MUMM REINS FROM DOMINIQUE DEMARVILLE IN 2006, DIDIER NOW HAS A LONG AFFILIATION WITH THE HOUSE AND A DEEP LOVE OF ITS PRODUCE.

Didier, can you tell us a little about Mumm in your own words and how you found yourself at the house?

The house was founded in 1827 by a German family. It was the largest house at the beginning of the 20th century and is now the 3rd largest. Thanks to the “Cordon Rouge”, the symbol of both the house and the legion d’honneur, the highest decoration in France, the house is well recognised worldwide.

The house style is really based on the Pinot Noir, as most of our own vineyards are Pinot Noir plants. It’s a varietal I really like as part of my family (from my mothers side), it is from Burgundy.

Why is Mumm’s history so important to you and what impact does that have on your work today in the winery?

Mumm’s history is important to understand the legacy of the house. Winemaking is all about the legacy: to the consumers who are drinking Mumm right now but also the future consumer through everything we are creating.

It’s also why we are going to reveal the “Collection du Chef de Caves”; a trip into Mumm history with three back vintages: 1996, 1990 and 1985 being released in magnums. It’s the perfect way to understand the house history and philosophy by tasting three great vintages.

Mumm has always been seen as an avantgarde house, how are you continuing to push the boundaries (as a brand and as a winemaker)?

You always need to be creative. The world is changing so we also have to change the way we produce Champagne. You can go at the same speed, then you don’t see the changes, but I like to go a little faster because I also want to convince new consumers to drink Champagne and to drink Mumm.

We have just launched the Night Edition with three new products; two white Champagnes and one rosé Champagne. They are a little bit sweeter than the Cordon Rouge, but I think some consumers are looking for more fruitiness and roundness, and I have to listen to them.

When do you celebrate with Champagne, give us a recent example or occasion?

I celebrate with Champagne almost every day! Of course, Champagne is to celebrate achievement, victory and of course Formula 1, but Champagne is also for me a fantastic drink to transform a bad day into a good one: celebrate every day.

How would you like to see Australians celebrating with Mumm?

Every day with a glass of Mumm Champagne! I would also like to see more consumers enjoying and celebrating with my Rosé: it’s perfect for your weather, culture and social drinking style. I really think it’s perfect for Australia.

Do you have a “hidden gem” in your range, a style or cuvée that we should keep an eye out for?

As a father I love and take care of all my children, but you always keep an eye out and give a little bit more attention to your youngest. The Brut Selection; a new Non Vintage Brut coming from 5 grand crus villages (65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay with around 20% reserve wines), which is not currently available in Australia.

Mumm seem to practice the art of Sabrage regularly, tell us a little about it and why it’s used by Mumm?

The sabrage comes from history: when Napoleon was battling east of Europe he was passing through Champagne with his army and they brought bottles of Champagne with them to celebrate all their victories. At that time, Champagne was not closed with a cork, instead it was closed with a piece of wood, some wax and rope, so it was not really easy to quickly open the bottle. That is why the officer of the cavalry decided to use their sabre to open it. After the battles, the same officers went back to Paris, still drinking Champagne and still using their sabre to open it!

At Mumm we like to use it to pay tribute to this history: it’s like a ritual when you open the bottle. You just have to be very careful when you do it, as there is 6kg of pressure inside the bottle and it can explode if you don’t do it properly: so I recommend learning how to do it and to wear gloves and glasses… Just in case!

What do you think are some of the challenges facing Champagne in the coming decade (Supply v Demand, Climate, Changing Consumer Trends etc)?

In Champagne, we always try to adjust supply vs demand: growers and negociants decide together, before the harvest, the level of yield function of

our stocks and function of the demand for the next three years. In 2014 over 307 million bottles of Champagne were shipped from the region. We can ship 40 million more if they are needed in the coming years.

Climate is changing and we have to adapt, but for the moment this adaptation is about the date of harvest: every year we decide the dates of harvest following the level of acidity and sugar in the grapes to get the best balance. 30 years ago harvest was starting in October or maybe November. Today we start closer to mid-September.

Consumer tastes are also changing: we were drinking sweet Champagne in France in the 50’s where we now drink dryer Champagne. The business is now more global than it was in the 50’s and consumers tastes are not the same everywhere, so I need to listen to what each type of consumer is asking for because my job is to bring enjoyment and pleasure to all!

Australia has long loved the screw cap and enjoyed the results of cork free wine; would you ever consider using screw caps?

I have tried! But not very successfully for the moment because of the pressure inside!

However, part of our production is now under Mytik Diamant Cork (Technical Cork), which guarantees no more cork problems and all Mumm Champagne bottles in Australia are closed with these corks.

What are the differences between Sparkling and Champagne?

The terroir: Champagne is a sparkling wine, produced only in Champagne. The terroir is what makes wines so different from one region to another: terroir can be the soil, the subsoil, age of the vines, exposure, climate or weather.

What do we have to look forward to from yourself and Mumm over the next 12 months?

Collection du Chef de Caves (Australia will receive about 15 magnums of each vintage, 1996, 1990, 1985), Brut Selection (Australia may see this in the future) and Night Edition (Australia may see this in the future). ❧