Champagne Dom Caudron

Champagne Dom Caudron is a Coopérative in Passy-Grigny, in the western part of the Vallée de la Marne. Its founding story is unusual: in 1929 the village priest, Dom Caudron, donated 1,000 francs so the winegrowers of the village could build their own production facility with presses and equipment. Out of this initiative grew today's Coopérative, which bears his name.

Today the member growers together farm 130 hectares of vines, exclusively in Passy-Grigny. This sets Dom Caudron apart from most Coopératives, which pull grapes together from many villages: here, everything comes from a single commune.

Coopérative or Grower? A Quick Overview

Dom Caudron is not a Récoltant-Manipulant, but a CM (Coopérative de Manipulation): many grower families deliver their grapes to a shared cellar, which vinifies and markets the wine under one brand. The difference from a classic RM lies in governance, not necessarily in quality. In Dom Caudron's case, one thing speaks in favor of the model: all 130 hectares lie in the same village, so the Terroir profile stays as tightly defined as with many an individual grower.

Meunier as a Mission

The house's claim is "Conjugueurs de Meunier depuis 1929," meaning roughly: we conjugate Meunier through all its forms. 80% of the vineyard is planted with Pinot Meunier. The Terroir of Passy-Grigny (clay and limestone soils, morning mist, the freshness of the Marne river) is considered ideal for this grape variety.

The Cuvée names spell out the program in full: Prédiction (pure Meunier), Epicurienne (old vines), Fascinante (as a rosé), Cornalyne (aged in oak), Sublimité (conjugated with Chardonnay).

Vignoble & Soil

The house has mapped its Terroir in detail and distinguishes four soil types in Passy-Grigny: marl (power and freshness, spicy aromas), sand and sandstone (delicate, fresh wines with exotic fruit), clay and limestone (balance and aging potential, robust and honeyed-spicy) and sand and limestone (finesse, minerality, citrusy and floral notes).

Viticulture & Vinification

More than 50% of the vineyard is HVE and/or VDC certified (Haute Valeur Environnementale, Viticulture Durable en Champagne). Work is done with cover crops, soil tillage, and pheromone confusion techniques instead of preventive spraying.

All grapes are hand-harvested and pressed no later than five hours after picking. In the cellar the house combines traditional methods (lees aging, long maturation, oak barrels) with modern technique (temperature control, partial malolactic fermentation).

My Tastings

Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut (100% Meunier, 4 g/l, 24 months on lees) · June 7, 2026

Facts

Category	Detail
Official name	Champagne Dom Caudron
Status	CM (Coopérative de Manipulation)
Founded	1929 (endowment by village priest Dom Caudron)
Address	Rue Jean York, 51700 Passy-Grigny
Village	Passy-Grigny
Region	Vallée de la Marne (West)
Area	130 ha, exclusively in Passy-Grigny
Grape varieties	80% Pinot Meunier
Soils	Marl, sand/sandstone, clay/limestone, sand/limestone
Certification	>50% HVE and/or VDC
Website	champagnedomcaudron.fr