Champagne Besserat de Bellefon

Edmond Besserat founded the first Maison Besserat in Aÿ in 1843. Originally from Hautvillers, he honed his craft by creating cuvées and unique blends. He focused on quality, aiming for elegance, finesse, and lightness. One day, fate—or simply life—brought Edmond Besserat’s grandson and Yvonne Méric de Bellefon, a member of Champagne’s aristocracy, together. In 1920, their marriage gave rise to the legend of Maison Besserat de Bellefon, marking the birth of the new brand.

In 1930, the director of La Samaritaine de Luxe in Paris posed a challenge to Victor Besserat, Edmond’s grandson and the second to bear the name, to create a lightly sparkling Champagne with a delicate mousse and great finesse—ideal for pairing throughout an entire meal. To meet this challenge and succeed, Victor employed the crémant production technique. Thus, the Crémant des Moines, the jewel of Maison Besserat de Bellefon, was born.

The incredible lightness of its foam comes from a unique process in Champagne. The house uses less liqueur de tirage, resulting in a lighter, airier mousse, making Besserat de Bellefon’s bubbles 30% finer than those of traditional Champagne. When poured into a flute, it creates the remarkable impression of "crémend."

Years later, as the term "Crémant" was no longer used in Champagne, the wine received the name that remains etched in everyone’s memory: "la Cuvée des Moines." This famous name is a tribute to the ingenuity of the Benedictine monks, the "Fathers" of Champagne-making.