The Story
Ask the average Frenchman to name one champagne house their answer would probably be Mercier. For all of its present popularity, Mercier Champagne House owes its biggest debt of gratitude to its founder, Eugène Mercier. He was a man endowed with amazing energy, innovative vision and a flair for extraordinary publicity stunts, and he was only twenty years-old! His simple ambition was to bring high-quality champagne to everyday folk which he accomplished through a series of stunning events, an aggressive price policy and a highly-creative advertising strategy that retains its brilliance a century later.
Vintage 2005
The 2005 vintage was a year of marked contrasts between seasons and regions. Following a fairly harsh winter, 2005 had a mild spring with relatively warm temperatures all year long. There was above average sunshine and a slight water deficit, as had been the case throughout the dry cycle of 2005/2004 and 2003. The heat and humidity in July produced larger grapes and bunches, rather unusually for the Champagne region, while the cooler weather in August, followed by a very sunny month of September, led to favourable ripening in spite of heavy parasite pressure. The harvest dates were “typical” of those of the decade: September 12th for Chardonnays and the following day for Pinots Noirs.