History
The House G.H. Martel & C° was founded in 1869 by the Tabourin family, a harvesting owner from Avenay Val d’Or, a small town a few miles from Epernay.
At the end of the 19th century, Henry Léopold Tabourinwas sent by his employer Auguste Devaux on an oenology and information course in Champagne.
In 1984, on the death of Auguste Devaux, H.L. Tabourinfounded, in association with Mr. Devaux' widow, the Champagne House Veuve A. Devaux which reached the height of its success in the Belle Epoque.
In 1910, H.L. Tabourin left the House that he had co-founded and worked with his son to develop the G.H. Martel & C° trademark, which he had bought in the early 1920’s.
A champagne and its history ...
The House G.H. Martel & C° was founded in 1869 by the Tabourin family, a harvesting owner from Avenay Val d’Or, a small town a few miles from Epernay.
At the end of the 19th century, Henry Léopold Tabourinwas sent by his employer Auguste Devaux on an oenology and information course in Champagne.
In 1984, on the death of Auguste Devaux, H.L. Tabourinfounded, in association with Mr. Devaux' widow, the Champagne House Veuve A. Devaux which reached the height of its success in the Belle Epoque.
In 1910, H.L. Tabourin left the House that he had co-founded and worked with his son to develop the G.H. Martel & C° trademark, which he had bought in the early 1920’s.
In 1979, the death of André Tabourin posed the difficult problem of succession. The House Ernest Rapeneau, founded in 1901, acquired a majority shareholding in G.H. Martel with the aim of establishing G.H. Martel & C° as the spearhead for its activities in Champagne. After fifty years of intense activity, Ernest Rapeneau finally retired from business, leaving the running of the company to two of his sons, François and Bernard.
Nowadays, the new G.H. Martel & C° group now extends over a large stock of vineyards planted with Chardonnay and Pinot. The company has three traditional pressing centres, 20,000 m2 of cellars and 55,000 hl of vats, some of which are of the most modern stainless steel design with temperature regulation.
The personality of G.H. Martel & C° Champagne is based on the know-how of the Rapeneau family, which has been involved in making this white wine for four generations. Cellar-master and oenologist, Christophe, Bernard’s younger son, now runs the House, while his older son, Jean-François, is responsible for the sales development of the brand.