Vallée de la Marne · Champagne
Photo: Pline / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hautvillers is a village above the Marne Valley where Dom Pérignon lived and is buried, and where a cooperative and growers offer tastings. It has no station, so most visitors come from Épernay.
Hautvillers is the village most closely tied to Dom Pérignon. Dom Pierre Pérignon came to the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Pierre in 1668 as a young monk, became cellar master, and stayed until his death in 1715. He is buried in the abbey church, Église Saint-Sindulphe, which you can enter.
The name means "High village," and the village sits at 195 m. The Belvédère Dom Pérignon gives a panorama over the Marne Valley, and about 140 wrought-iron signs decorate the house fronts along the streets.
A statue of Dom Pierre Pérignon, inaugurated in June 2022, stands in the Pierre Cheval park. It features a giant bottle holding the contents of 360 bottles.
The former abbey is private property of Moët & Chandon and is closed to visitors. Tastings here are with the village's cooperative and its winegrowers instead. For the wider region, see the Champagne guide.
The tourist office on Place de la République runs a guided village tour, "Le nez en l'air," from €12 ($13) and lasting about 1 hour. Its phone number is +33 (0)3 26 57 06 35.
Visits in Hautvillers range from a short cooperative tasting to a guided vineyard tour by van. The tourist office says reservation is preferable for tastings and cellar visits at the village's winegrowers, so don't count on walking in.
| Estate | Visits | Tasting from |
|---|---|---|
| Le Berceau du Champagne (cooperative) | 3 tastings | |
| cellar visit with 3 tastings from €25 ($27) | ||
| child visit with fruit juice €8 ($9) | €10 ($11) | |
| Champagne Bliard-Labeste | Go Champagne vineyard tour by combi van with tasting, 1h30 | |
| with cellar visit, 2h, €60 ($65) | €40 ($43) | |
| Champagne Joseph Desruets | Village address, 85 Rue de Bacchus | — |
| Champagne Marion-Bosser | Village address, 1 Rue de la Croix de Fer | — |
| Caveau Gobillard & Fils | Caveau at 38 Rue de l'Église, in front of the abbey | — |
Le Berceau du Champagne is the Coopérative des Vignerons d'Hautvillers, on Chemin des Garennes. It was founded in 1931 and has 175 members farming 72 ha, with chalk cellars. The €10 ($11) price is the minimum for 3 tastings, and the cellar visit with 3 tastings starts at €25 ($27).
Champagne Bliard-Labeste runs "Go Champagne," a tour of the vineyards by combi van that ends with a tasting. It costs €40 ($43) for 1 hour 30 minutes, or €60 ($65) for 2 hours with a cellar visit. The cellar visit can only be added Monday to Saturday morning.
Caveau Gobillard & Fils sits on Rue de l'Église in front of the abbey, which makes it easy to pair with a visit to Dom Pérignon's grave. Champagne Joseph Desruets and Champagne Marion-Bosser also have addresses in the village streets.
If you are tasting several wines, spit rather than swallow, and arrange a designated driver if you have a car.
Two of the visits come with day restrictions. The Bliard-Labeste cellar visit can only be added Monday to Saturday morning, and Champagne Joseph Desruets is closed on Wednesday and Sunday.
The village streets, the abbey church and the Belvédère Dom Pérignon don't depend on a visit slot, so a walk is possible whichever estates are open. The tourist office's "Le nez en l'air" tour is a good first visit if you want the village explained as you walk.
For current hours and winter opening, call the tourist office on +33 (0)3 26 57 06 35.
Épernay is the nearest station, and a taxi from there takes about 10 minutes, or about 30 minutes from Reims.
No. Épernay is the nearest station, and a taxi from there to Hautvillers takes about 10 minutes, or about 30 minutes from Reims. The train from Paris Gare de l'Est to Épernay takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.
At the Berceau du Champagne cooperative, 3 tastings start at €10 ($11) and a cellar visit with 3 tastings starts at €25 ($27). The Bliard-Labeste vineyard tour with tasting costs €40 ($43) for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Yes. Dom Pérignon is buried in the abbey church, Église Saint-Sindulphe, and you can go in. The former abbey is private property of Moët & Chandon and is not open to visitors.
The tourist office says reservation is preferable for tastings and cellar visits at the village's winegrowers, so don't count on walking in. Contact the estate you want to visit ahead of your trip.
Yes. The tourist office offers a guided village tour called "Le nez en l'air." It lasts about 1 hour and costs from €12 ($13). The office is on Place de la République.
À La Française / Viator
You spend 3 hours at one family-run winery near Épernay, with six tastings and lunch included. Groups are capped at 12 and a local guide leads in English. At €90 ($97), the fee covers entrance, tastings and the meal.
From €903 hours
Best for: A hands-on tasting class with lunch, small groups
Sparkling Tour / Viator
You visit three family-run Champagne growers outside Reims in a private minivan with air conditioning, for up to 8 people. The 8-hour day starts with hotel pickup in Reims or Épernay and includes entry and tastings of 10 Champagnes. It costs €495 ($535) from.
From €4958 hours
Best for: Small groups who want a private day with three growers
À La Française / Viator
You spend 8 hours 10 minutes with a local English-speaking guide in a group of no more than 8. The day covers a Veuve Clicquot visit, a family-run winery and a traditional lunch. At €330 ($356), it includes 9 Champagne tastings and admission.
From €3308 hours 10 minutes
Best for: Small-group full day: one big house, one grower
Last updated
Guide
Dom Pérignon worked at the Hautvillers abbey for 47 years and is buried in its church, which is open to visitors. Here is the history, how to get there, the village growers and what visits cost.
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