October 2026

October 12, 2026

Meet Champagne Daniel Moreau

Even though vine growing for the Moreau family dates back to 1875, the first wines from their grapes weren’t made in the village until 1956 when Robert Moreau founded the local cooperative. In 1961 he bottled a few hundred bottles of champagne from his own grapes with an eye towards the future. He was hoping to create an independent future of winemaking for his son. By 1970, with his son Daniel now at the helm the direction was clear. The estate would no longer provide grapes to the co-op and all 2.68 hectares of Meunier would go in to the family wine. By 1978 he had lessened the use of chemical additives to the vineyard, decades before some of his neighbors and in the 1990’s he was already using grasses in between his vines for diversity of flora.

In 2005 Daniel’s son Bastien fully took over the day to day operations of grape growing and winemaking. His immediate goal was to become an organic winery and, today, fully certified Organic. His approach is rational, methodical and precise. The goal is to produce the best grapes possible. He has, as the years have passed, adapted his philosophy to do less, and let nature do more. He has set the stage for the vineyards to produce the best they can and he stays to of the way of Mother Nature. No chemical, pesticide or weedkiller is used. Bastien is resolute in his practices and no change in the weather or vineyard will knock him off course.

There are now 16 plots in the family holdings spread over a span of only 10km (6.21 miles) creating a very rare concentration of terroir. Each plot is vilified separate and each year there are 16 vats of wine. The blends are created from these and only in special years is a vintage created. Only 8 have been made in the last 30 years.

Bastien has had the time to learn his plots, learn his craft and refine his approach to both. He is thoughtful and his wines exude the same quality. Precision is a word that could be placed on almost any part of the man or his champagne yet he still strives for more. New plots, new grapes, new wines. The picture of Champagne Daniel Moreau is clear but the transformation is far from over. More is still to come.

Read more about Champagne Daniel Moreau on Cage Imports.

The Wine

This bottle is so special that not a drop exists outside the Fanatics Club! This is such a special, tiny project that you are the only people in the country getting to experience this bottle! Be sure to try another bottle from Champagne Daniel Moreau in our Shop.

Chemin de Trotte, an ultra exclusive single-plot, 100% Meunier from less than one hectare nestled on the western slopes of Vandieres.

Why we love it: The Marne Valley is world-renowned for Meunier, and this is a brilliant expression of the grape from a singular, focused terroir. This crisp champagne showcases baked orchard fruits and toasted hazelnuts.

The vibe: Date night at your favorite BYOB ramen shop.

Meet Matthieu Godme-Guillaume

Matthieu Godme-Guillaume took over in 2019 as the third generation winemaker for his family plots in and around the village of Verzenay. His farming methods are at the forefront of what is transforming the vineyards of Champagne. There is no strict adherence to any one dogma. His work resembles organic farming but does not follow it strictly. He heavily plants cover crops between his vines and sparingly tills them very shallowly to not disturb the soil or the life below ground. He never uses herbicides or pesticides and all fertilizer is strictly organic. His goal is to farm sustainably so that the land is healthy and produces the best grapes possible. Walking through his plots in person, it's exciting to witness 100-year old vines so happy and thriving!

Matthieu took over in 2019 as the third generation winemaker of his family plots in and around the village of Verzenay. His farming methods are at the forefront of what is transforming the vineyards of Champagne. There is no strict adherence to any one dogma. His work resembles organic farming but does not follow it strictly. He heavily plants cover crops between his vines and sparingly tills them very shallowly to not disturb the soil or the life below ground. He never uses herbicides or pesticides and all fertilizer is strictly organic. His goal is to farm sustainably so that the land is healthy and produces the best grapes possible.

In the cellar he uses indigenous yeasts and ferments in french oak that he hand selects each year. There is no fining or filtration and the wines see very low and sometimes no SO2. The low intervention winemaking process allows for the texture of the terroir to show through while still allowing the power of the fruit to shine.

The family vineyards were established in 1897 in Villers-Marmery and now span 5 hectares in Verzenay, Verzy and Villers-Marmery. His vines are split 2/3 Chardonnay and 1/3 Pinot Noir and produce rich, ripe fruit each year. This allows Matthieu to craft powerful wines that are supremely balanced.

The desire to use superlatives comes easy when drinking these champagnes. To read about them is one thing but to taste them will have you spurting superlatives too!

The Wine

Get another bottle from Matthieu Godme-Guillaume in our Shop!

Terre de Villers-Marmery is a 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs made from vines across three distinct chalk-heavy lieux-dits: Oies, Charmois, and Sous-la-Ville, all in Premier Cru plots from of the village of Villers-Marmery. Fermented natively and aged in French oak barriques for about 9 months with zero malolactic fermentation, it spends over three years resting on its fine lees before being bottled unfined, unfiltered, and bone-dry with a minimal 1g/L dosage.

Why we love it: It’s got all the rich, comforting flavors of a freshly baked lemon tart and warm shortbread cookies from the oak barrels, but because it’s made with zero sugar, it stays incredibly crisp and mouthwatering.

The vibe: It was a long workday. You're home late and still need to make dinner. Open this bottle while you make a quick and easy cacio e pepe or, even easier, frozen dumplings.