Grower-Producer since 1847
A Family, a Terroir, a Transmission
Grower Champagne since 1847
Six Generations, One Same Gesture
1847. Our forebears bottled their first wines at Moussy. In 2004, Vincent and Bénédicte settled at Aÿ, built their winery there and made it the centre of their working lives. Today it is still the family, with the next generation, that prunes the vines, presses the fruit and composes the blends. The love of the craft, the challenge of growing and making anew each year, the curiosity: what drives the Maison has not changed in six generations.
18th century
The house is built
1847
First family bottling, at Moussy
1978
Vincent Michel takes up the estate alongside his father, Guy Michel
1989
Bénédicte graduates in oenology, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne
2003
Bénédicte and Vincent found the SCEV Michel-Gentilhomme
2004
The winery and cellars at Aÿ are acquired: first harvest, first vintage of the Maison
2011
A new winery and a new press, in the service of quality
Today
The next generation joins the Maison
The Family
Those who embody the heritage and the standards of the Maison.
Vincent Michel
Co-founder
Established on the estate in 1978 alongside his father, Vincent orchestrates every stage of the growing year. From pruning to harvest, he sets the rhythm of the vines, shapes the identity of the cuvées and signs off the final blend.
Bénédicte Gentilhomme
Co-founder
A graduate in oenology from the University of Reims, Bénédicte was born into a family tied to the vineyard for generations, several of her forebears heads of vineyard at great Champagne houses. She watches over the identity of the Maison, from the care given to the labelling of our bottles to the welcome under our red door.
Aliaume Michel-Gentilhomme
Next Generation
Trained in the heart of the vineyard, he takes part in every essential gesture, from the winter pruning to the spring blends. His curiosity feeds a genuine passion for the craft and for the challenge each vintage renews.
Aÿ — the House, the Winery, the Cellars
Since 2004, everything that makes the wine happens at Aÿ: the winery where fruit becomes still wine, the cellars where the bottles rest, the red door under which we receive our guests. The vines themselves lie beyond, across eight villages of the Marne Valley.
