Uncover the best of Day Trip to Champagne the local Way

"What a day! Michel is extremely knowledgeable and planned a fabulous day for us. We met a grower with their own label and saw the process from grape to bottle, had a lovely lunch then the other extreme at Pommery. Highly recommended! "

"We contracted with Michel in mid February for my husband and I to do a private tour in Champagne on March 22 with a request to visit Veuve Cliquot (my then favorite Champagne House). I received an automated confirmation stating a visit to Pommery would occur but then received a note from Michel asking where we'd like to visit and I requested Veuve Clicquot. Michel picked us up at our hotel in Paris promptly at 7:30 am in his car and drove us to Champagne. Along the way I asked if we were visiting Veuve and he said sadly no, he was unable to make a reservation because the season had just started and visits were already booked-you can probably feel my disappointment (please keep rading)...as we drove north toward Epernay (2+ hours) out of Paris with the rolling hills and naked vineyards coming into view, we made a brief stop for coffee and a bathroom break in Damery. We continued on to Beaumont-sur-Vesle to meet one of Michel's clients, a small Champagne producer who was bottling his small batch Champagne that day (which happened to be a once a year event). We were lucky enough to meet the very friendly vineyard owner and producer Paul Froissart from "Lafalise Froissart Champagne", a small batch Grand Cru champagne house. After briefly watching the bottling process Paul took a moment to talk with us, explaining the grapes he grows, the quality of the terroir (dirt), the 2 step fermentation process/facility & show us his storage facility. Michel then drove us to one of Paul's vineyards where he produced a bottle of "Lafalise Froissart Champagne Maison D'Inities 045" which we tasted, while romantically, standing in the vineyard where Paul grows his pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. Both my husband & I LOVED Paul's champagne! We then continued on to another of Michel's clients, Champagne Gounel Lassalle, another small batch Premier Cru Champagne House in Chigny-les-Roses where we met owners Sophie and Arnaud Lassalle who were both friendly and very welcoming. Sophie took the time on her birthday to share information about their vineyard's, the importance of the terroir's, the organic grapes (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonay) they grow. Arnaud showed us his fermentation processing & storage facility and then explained how they had just finished their 4 month long hand pruning process. We were then offered a tasting of four of their champagnes. Sophie and Arnaud's champagne was distinctly different due to the addition of the Pinot Meunier grape. We fell in LOVE with 2020 Le Haut Belai, which was interestingly a combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Both Paul, Sophie & Arnaud are small batch champagne growers and you could feel the love and pride that goes into making their beautiful champagnes. Michel was able to load up the trunk of his car with cases of Lassalle Champagne as we continued on to Reims where we had a very delicious lunch at Cul de Poule including paired wines that Michel chose. After lunch we waited in line to purchase tickets to walk through the Pommery Champagne House middle age old chalk caves where their champagne is stored. After the tour completed we stopped to taste a glass of the Pommery champagne which was sub par given the delightful champage we had tasted eariler in the day from both Lafalise Froissart Champagne Maison D'Inities 045 & Champagne Gounel Lassalle 2020 Le Haut Belai. Michel asked if I still wanted to stop by the Veuve Clicquot Boutique which I mournfully accepted because I wanted to be able to say I had been there. The bottom line is we learned a lot with Michel, much more than we expected. There is a significant difference in the taste of a champagne when the multi-generational owners prunes their own vines, grows their own grapes, hand picks their own grapes, ferments them, bottles and second ferments them, ages them and puts their name on the label of the bottle. The whole process is much more in depth than you can imagine. We are forever more absolute fans of Lafalise Froissart Grand Cru Champagne & Lafalise Froissart Premier Cru Champagne. Michel has permanently educated & changed our champagne drinking choices to those of small batch growers as opposed to large house conglomerates. The bonus is we are able to order champagne directly through Michel. Thank you Michel! "

"We had an absolutely fantastic experience touring the Champagne country in France with our guide, Michel. From start to finish, he was incredibly warm, approachable, and knowledgeable. It was clear that he not only knew the region well but also had a deep understanding of the intricate details behind the Champagne-making process. Michel had a great way of explaining everything in a way that was easy to follow, even for those of us who aren’t wine experts. His passion for the craft and the area really came through, and it made the tour all the more engaging. You could tell he was well-connected and respected in the area, which added a unique insider’s perspective to the whole experience. We came away with a much greater appreciation for Champagne and the tradition behind it, thanks to Michel’s expert guidance. Highly recommend this tour – and if you’re lucky enough to get Michel as your guide, you’re in for a treat! "

"Highly recommend this tour with Michel to experience the Champagne region. He is a knowledgeable tour guide - we learned so much during our day together! Loved the experience of trying champagne from two unique wineries. Truly one of our trip highlights! "

"Michel is a very knowledgeable tour guide. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire day!"

"Michel was a terrific, knowledgeable , and a fun guide. We were two couples that spent the day in the Champagne region with Michel! He took us to a vineyard, commercial winery and a boutique winery. It really was amazing! He even included a “special” lunch for us. I highly recommend this tour and Michel. "

"Michel, was a fantastic guide. This was one of the highlights of our two week trip. He is passionate about wine, Champagne and France in general. He is full of history regarding many topics. We were able to visit a couple of small producers as well as a mega producer with amazing caves. Michel is very accommodating. If there is a specific house you want to visit, make sure you let him know. On top of everything, he helped select a few great local wines for us to take with us. He worked with a local wine shop and had everything ready for us to swing by, purchase and be on our way. He also recommended a great restaurant that was one of our highlights. We accidentally left a passport at the restaurant and Michel took it upon himself to help track us down which avoided a catastrophe. I’m a raving fan….!!!"

"Michel picked us up from our apartment in the center for Paris. We toured 2 small champagne houses (per our request). We were able to learn the champagn making process from the wine makers themselves. Michel was very knowledgeable and engaging. The cherry on top was a very well thought out lunch. Overall, it’s experience that I’ll remember fondly for years to come. "

"Michel made us feel like we were his friends that he was showing around some of his favorite spots; he taught us a lot and offered a lot of his own personal experience in the wine industry. Also, the lunch he took us to was one of the best we had in all of France! Would definitely recommend."

"Michel was knowledgable and entertaining during our 9 hour tour to Reims. We had such a great time learning about the making of Champagne and visiting two wineries. Our lunch was also amazing and we had great conversations with Michel, even my two teenage kids had a fabulous time. Michel was so attentive that he even continued the tour and offered to take us cheese shopping in Paris, which was not included in the tour and we are very grateful for the extra attention. Thank you Michel! We will definitely contact you again the next time we are in Paris for another awesome tour! "