With all the wine out there \u2013 and there is a LOT of it \u2013 I\u2019m always looking for a connection to wine. What is something that they do that is important to me? What actions do they take that aligns with my values and makes me actually want to buy the wine? It turns out that Maison Pommery checks those boxes for me \u2013 and that includes their Ch\u00e2teau La Gordonne estate in Provence, which I had no idea even existed!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Back when I started this old blog, Champagne Pommery was the first champagne house I ever visited. For me, I loved the house\u2019s place in history which made it an easy choice amongst the houses in Reims to visit. You can see my article on my visit here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Be kind \u2013 I was a new blogger just getting started.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not aware, do know that Madame Pommery was an absolute trailblazer in the world of champagne. She created Brut (dry) Champagne in 1874 after discovering that the majority of her consumers wanted a lighter, less sweet wine. She also pioneered the use of underground storage in chalk caves (cray\u00e8res<\/em>) and was the first to open her Champagne house to visitors back in 1878. And she was also one of the first employers to create social security and retirement benefits for her employees and also contributed significantly to the country\u2019s orphanages. Who can\u2019t get behind that?<\/p>\n Today, that female leadership continues with the current owners. I recently had lunch with Pauline Vranken, CEO of Vranken-Pommery America, the subsidiary that is focused on building the brand in the Americas. She is the daughter of Paul-Fran\u00e7ois and Nathalie Vranken, owners of\u00a0Maison Pommery & Associ\u00e9s.<\/strong>\u00a0The\u00a0<\/strong>family-owned company\u2019s holdings include\u00a0\u00a0Champagne Pommery<\/a>,\u00a0Champagne Vranken<\/a>, Champagne Pompadour,\u00a0\u00a0Champagne Charles Lafitte\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 and Ch\u00e2teau La Gordonne, which we explored at lunch. I should note that I\u2019m not typically a \u201clady who lunches\u201d as I don\u2019t have the right clothes or temperament \u2013 I can be salty and sarcastic! LOL!<\/p>\n While Pauline has an engineering background (including a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Columbia University) I love that she is committed to continuing the family\u2019s wine business. And with mom Nathalie in the role of Chairwoman and CEO of the family business, she continues in a long line of strong women involved in all things named Pommery. Madame Pommery would be proud!<\/p>\n What I didn\u2019t realize it that the family\u2019s work in wine extended beyond bubbles. During lunch, we explored the wines of the family\u2019s Proven\u00e7al estate\u00a0Ch\u00e2teau La Gordonne<\/a>, which is one of the oldest and largest estates in Provence. Farmed organically and featuring clay-limestone (classic soil type in Bourgogne and Chablis) and schist (think Douro, Priorat, and the Loire Valley) soils, the estate is situated in the heart of the Golden Triangle of the C\u00f4tes de Provence wine region.<\/p>\n And here\u2019s a fun fact: After the family spent many years visiting Provence during the kids\u2019 childhood and seeing wife Nathalie Vranken\u2019s love of the region, Paul-Fran\u00e7ois Vranken purchased and gifted the property to Nathalie. I can\u2019t remember if it was for her birthday or something else. I just remembered thinking that Mr. Corkscrew bought me a bike one Christmas. Do with that what you will. LOL!<\/p>\n During lunch, we tasted through their ultra-premium collection of wines known as \u201cThe Trilogy\u201d which features a ros\u00e9, white, and red wine. What is unique about this trio of wines is that they are produced using sandstone egg-shaped vessels.\u00a0<\/p>\n Interestingly enough, this started as a passion project for Nathalie and winemaker Julien Fort. After traveling to Italy to purchase the egg, the thought was to just do a small amount of ros\u00e9. But the wine ended up being so good that they expanded the use to a white wine and then a red. Looking at the big picture, they wanted to showcase that Provence is more than just pale pink ros\u00e9. And so it is that we have a \u201ctrilogy\u201d of amazing wines.<\/p>\n The Trilogy white and ros\u00e9 wines are aged in the vessel for several months, with the results being wines that are textural marvels. The porous nature of the sandstone allows in small amounts of oxygen (just like a traditional wine barrel) but without the characteristics that comes from oak. This allows a truly pure expression of the grapes and soils alike. For red wines, instead of doing a traditional crush of the grapes, the grapes are placed inside the sandstone vessel, grape by grape, and then the vessel is rotated to release the juices of the grapes using gravity. This process allows a slow, gentle extraction of the juice which allows the juice to take on depth of flavor, yet still retain its elegance. At the end of the day these wines offer up finesse and aromatic complexity. I really loved the texture of the wines.<\/p>\n During lunch, we started with the ros\u00e9, called Le Cirque des Grives. But make no mistake, this is not your every day Proven\u00e7al ros\u00e9. Yes it provided fresh, juicy red fruits, but also provided a roundness and creaminess juxtaposed with its vibrant acidity. Like magic in a bottle.<\/p>\n Next up was the white wine, called Semaphore, crafted of 100% Rolle aka Vermentino. Rolle, as it is known in the region, is one of the oldest varieties in Provence and absolutely captures the essence of the history of the region. In this case, the desire was to bridge history and the future and provide this very old grape with a newfound, modern character.<\/p>\n The final wine was the red, which is called Les Planetes, actually made Nathalie (a champagne person through and through) appreciate red wine. With the impact of the egg, the wine is quite smooth, almost delicate, yet rich with very little tannin \u2013 entirely belying the fact that it\u2019s made of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Mourv\u00e8dre. This definitely goes on my list of chillable summer reds!<\/p>\n And I learned that the unique bottle shape is trademarked (or whatever they call it in France) by the winery. The shape is meant to replicate the bells in the region.<\/p>\n I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention the new (to me) restaurant where the Trilogy wines were unveiled to us \u2013 Little Hen<\/a>. This is the cutest, English-inspired breakfast and brunch restaurant. How have I not heard of it? Seriously a vibe!<\/p>\n We actually started our meal with a drink called the Champagne Candy Cloud, which featured Pommery champagne, cotton candy, and rose petals. The drink is the result of a partnership between Little Hen and Pommery. And a little birdie told me you can even get this sublime concoction at the champagne house in Reims.<\/p>\n Beyond the cocktails, this is definitely an amazing place to enjoy all things brunch!<\/p>\n What a way to continue the innovation of Madame Pommery. Hell yes, to women flexing while overseeing beautiful, sustainable wine!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With all the wine out there \u2013 and there is a LOT of it \u2013 I\u2019m always looking for a connection to wine. What is something that they do that is important to me? What actions do they take that aligns with my values and makes me actually want to buy the wine? It turns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7044390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[206763,195205,122935,123412,206762],"tags":[9876,20175,11316,206767,206764,27189,31210,206766,6145,206765,313],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7044389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-houstonwine","category-provence","category-rose","category-rosewine","category-wine-dine-houston","tag-bubbles","tag-chateau","tag-continue","tag-gordonne","tag-houstonwine","tag-innovate","tag-maison","tag-pommery","tag-provence","tag-rosewine","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6B367CCE-D195-42FF-8850-900D7712D1A3-scaled.jpeg\")
<\/a>How It Started<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>Where We Are Today<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Venturing to Provence Through Ch\u00e2teau La Gordonne<\/h2>\n
Exploring the Wines of Ch\u00e2teau La Gordonne<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Lunch at Little Hen<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n