House Janisson & Fils : Manuel in control

Winegrowers’ portraits Verzenay

House Janisson & Fils

manuel in control

Rooted for more than a century on both slopes of the Mountain of Reims, the Janissons are a beautiful family of wine growers. Representing the 5th generation, Manuel, after having seen all that had to be seen in the profession, he creates the Champagne house Janisson & Fils at Verzenay; and launches a range of Champagnes with his name!

"My mother exploited six hectares in Verzenay, Verzy and Mailly, and my father five hectares in Mailly, Chigny, Essomes. I used to help them when I was young and thus got in the field their savoir-faire. I complemented my education with a training in viticulture and enology at Avize. At the age of 20, I started working in the brokerage, at 25 in the trade. In 1996, I created a fermentation cellar in the heart of Verzenay and launched my Champagne house. Beside the development of the house, in 2012 I added the building of an impressive new cellar. The terroir of Verzenay classed 100% Grand Cru deserves it.”
The domain Janisson now exploits 9 hectares mainly located in the Montagne de Reims and benefits from 65h of supply. Manuel defends the word Mountain although it is only 250m at its highest point, an altitude, he believes, is enough to make the difference. The best plots are those on the sides in the highest third. They produce wines with spicy aromas, with a pure taste of fruits, length on the palate and enable to craft high-end cuvées. “Each cru of the Mountain of Reims has an asserted character. Verzy signs the great black varieties with its taste of flint; Verzenay has a beautiful bouquet; Mailly has volume and complexity; Ludes and Chigny-les-Roses provide fruitiness, lightness and roundness”.

In the heart of the Grand Cru terroir of Verzenay, stands the House Janisson & fils, a minimalist and pure belvedere, created by Giovanni Pacce, with a 360° panorama over the vineyard, the lighthouse of Verzenay and the mill.

Many terroirs and many crus that Manuel uses to compose his ranges and his successful blends. He calls his new cuvées Janisson Tradition and dedicates them to the selective distribution. To ease their introduction in these luxury networks, he presents them in special bottles he drew himself, inspiring himself from the curves of the back of a woman. The packaging is pure but evokes the content: plum-colour on the label for the Brut Tradition with Pinot Noir, white for the Blanc de Blancs …
Its ranges includes six cuvées. Brut Tradition reflects the terroir of the north side of the Mountain of Reims. Blanc de Noirs Tradition is a great Mono Cru from Verzenay. Also a Blanc de Blancs, a Rosé and the Extra Brut Tradition. With his vintage Champagne that marries in equal shares both varieties Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, exclusively blended with Grand Crus, Manuel Janisson refines his strategy in excellence, “and gives the wine the time to reach plenitude.” The vintage 2006 of the House Janisson has only be released in summer 2014. To taste absolutely …
Marie-Caroline Bourrellis

Champagne Janisson & Fils

11 rue de Beaumont • 51360 VERZENAY • Tél. +33 (0)3 26 49 40 19

www.janisson.com