Based in Reims, Pommery was first established as Pommery&Greno in 1858 to support a wool trading venture. Its owners, Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno, viewed Champagne production as a secondary avocation until Alexandre’s widow, Louise Pommery, took over the business upon his death. Madame Pommery recognized that the wool business was drying upwhile Champagne sales were booming. She changed direction, dedicating the Housefully to wine, and before long, Pommery became one of the region’s largest and most popular brands. A 19th century woman with a modern sensibility, Madame Pommery was behind many“firsts” at the time: she was the first to commercialize a brut Champagne in 1874, and the first to leverage an aggressive approach to branding, going so far as to build a grand château she opened to visitors and tourists. She is also credited for transforming the world’s preference from sweet sparkling wines to drier fare – a trend that exists to this day. Madame Pommery was almost as famous for her altruism as she was her business savvy, being one of the earliest business owners to offer employee pensions while dedicating much of her wealth to philanthropic causes. In 1979, the House launched Cuveé Louise in Madame Pommery’s honor. Extremely pure, it is made exclusively from the vines growing on the House’s premier plots which are now reserved for this very special endeavor. With one of the lowest sugar contents among all Champagnes, Louise offers the palate a harmonious combination of fruit and nut notes with a lively floral overtone. One could say that it shares the same appealing complexity as the woman who inspired it.