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In  the second part of the 19e century, two brothers  Pierre Boutet  1825 - 1887  (grand grand father from Gabriel Boutet) and André  Boutet born 1821 his brother  (MaisonVazart in Chouilly) ,came from South West of France (La Souterraine) to Epernay. 
They were house -builders and were engaged to excave cellars from Champagne Houses in the Avenue de champagne.  Pierre decided to settel to the small village of CUMIERES and Pierre began to built his house and mouved in with his family.
Pierre Auguste 1848 – 1896, the son of Pierre Boutet was a winer, he married Caroline Arnoult who owned Champagne wineyards. They had several children; 2 daughters and 2 sons, but only a son named Leon Boutet (1875 1911)  her first son survived to the diseases.
Leon Boutet married in1896, Blanche LECLERC (maison Leclerc Briant) on the age of 21 and his father died in the same year. Gabriel Boutet was their first son, born in 1897.

He died  the 6th February 1971 when Luc MILLET the actuel winer was 6 years old , the day of Luc's birthday.
Gabriel's first daughter, Marguerite BOUTET born in 1929 and married in 1962 Claude MILLET, son of the winer Charles MILLET.
Their second son is named  Luc MILLET (1965) married  (1990) Patricia who gave him one son Charles MILLET.

Charles is a REVOLUTIONIZER OF THE ART TO  HEAL THE SOIL

He looks , observe,  discover...  but mostly his nose is down on the soil where his eyes scan the plants, the wines, his roots and leaves...
When Charles is in the nature, he smells the wind and look to the sky, the flight of a bird, the gestur of a butterfly, the form of a flower, the pose of an insect, he feels the harmony of the buityfull creation.

 Collection particulière et privée de CHarles MILLET photo personnelle interdiction de reproduire

When he was 3 years old, he passed his time in the garden with insects, snails, butterfly and plants.
He says " My mother encouraged and gave me free rein to my imagination, and my inexhaustible source of inspiration helped me in revolutionizing the way to see the life and the world !
I hope that my  constant reinventing and experimentation through being attentive in linving soil and insects will add some more pages to the story of our House.
I can look back 122 years and be proved when I see what my ancestors did with their a wonderful tradition.

More than hundred and twenty two years of know-how "savoir faire" and creative exellence in Champagne "Art of Living" producing a "made in France".

The name of Millet and Boutet associated with passed tradition and passion by generations of winer, making precious champagne in ther daily live.
I try to transmit "à mon tour" my turn, the spirit of the Champagne from our family, to let you discover a new art to grow and to drink Champagne !"

Collection particulière de CHarles MILLET photos personnelles, interdiction de reproduire

The story of the house of Champagne Gabriel Boutet and the Lac du Der   

1896 first bottle sold with the name Boutet

1897 Birth of Gabriel Boutet

1897 Invasion from the Phylloxera who destroyed all the wineyards in Champagne and than in Europe.

From 1950 to 1970 expension of the aerea and the autonomie of the wine grower and vinmaker with the help of the big hause Moet (le baron rouge RJ de Voogue) and the Syndicat of the corporation of Champagne maker and the banks (plan Marschall).

Beetwen1952 et 1974, the french state and the Institution interdepartmental des barrages-reservoirs du basin de la Seine (IIBRBS) decide to create an huge dam, lack-reservoir 80 km from our house of champagne in Cumières. This project was made to hide Paris from flood in winter and spring every year because of the Marne River. See : Flood in Paris 1910

The dam was built during several years near Vitry le François 80 kilometers from our cellars down to the source of the river Marne and 150 kilometers from Paris. This dam is supposed to stop the overflowing from the capital of France.

This project was not approved by the 300 inhabitants who were farmer and they used to let the cattle in the fields near the big old oak- tree forest. In fact this realization needs to destroy 450 hectares of forest, farms, small lakes and 3 villages named Chantecoq, Champaubert-aux-Bois & Nuisement-aux-Bois.

Built during 10 years, finished in 1967, when the workers opened the canal to let the water from the Marne River flow into the dam which is a large clay area. The lack du Der-Chantecoq was inaugurated the le 3 January 1974 by the minister Robert Galley.  

Today nothing is left from the 3 destroyed underwater villages; just you may see the church from the village of Champaubert. It’s the biggest artificial lake from Europe and birds like to come fishing there. It also becomes a nice lake to dive and fish.

1970 just before the lack was finished, Luc’s father decides to built a second cellars under the garden. The old cellar from 1850 was not big enough for his 30 000 bottles of champagne at this time.

1971 death of Gabriel Boutet the Father of Marguerite born Boutet, father in law of Claude Millet, and Grandfather of Luc Millet.

1972 Luc’s father had to share the winyards with the sister of his wife both daughters of Gabriel BOUTET. He lost 1hectar 50 and 1/3 of the grapes to harvest in those flats!

1981 Luc’s father built an office to welcome customers at home.

1982:  a huge flood filled the dam. To hide from braking, the staff had to let water out, and all the water was overflowing of the valley of Marne and all the new part of the cellars was half full of water for several month so as Paris had in the river Seine, 6m18 !

1984 a new rule orders, Luc’s father to change his old press and his tanks. He could no more afford to pay for steel thermo -regulated tanks he wanted to have for doing better champagne with much less sulfite ( remember , he still has to give half of the harvest in money to his sister in law !)

He decided to cooperate with other vine makers who were buying a common cellar and a press.

1985 was his last harvest and last bottling in his own cellar.

During 10 Years   the time Luc’s father was president of the cooperative in Cumières, they invest in steel thermo regulated thanks.

The modern technological material as steel thermo regulated thanks 10 years later, permits us to do the best champagne with very few sulphites and no animal glue to sediment the juice to made the vine clear.

Since1986, and during 15 years Luc’s father was in the team and also a couple of years president of the Coopérative in Cumières.

Since Luc’s father is in rent end of 1999, Luc has taken his place in the Cooperative and participate actively in doing champagne for the 21^st Century.

Since this time we bring our grapes to the cooperative in CUMIERES and we store our bottles in Avize with cooperation.

1988 Luc begins to work with his father in the winyard.

1990 Wedding with Miss Pat*  retirement from Claude MILLET and still this time Luc and Patricia work together.

A few explanations about what is cooperation in a cooperative in Champagne.

During harvest we bring our grapes to the press in CUMIERES where the people we engage and pay with some other winegrowers will press our grapes.

All the baskets, from each winegrower have a QR code which is flashed. So we know what is in the basket, with grape and which is the ripeness of the grapes (the alcoholic potential = sugar of the grapes).

During harvest, mostly first the Pinot Meunier from the same Terroir in Cumières are cut and put in baskets, then the Pinot Noir, and, the Chardonnay on the end of the harvest.

When our neighbor is in the same cooperative from CUMIERES and if he works the earth and takes care of the grapes in the same way as we do it,   if his Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir or Chardonnay are the same quality they may be pressed together.

The chardonnay or pinot noir or pinot Meunier is separate pressed from each Terroir plots and comes to several tanks with the name of the grape, the plots and the number of the owner from the baskets with the grapes from Cumières. Vine stays in Cumières until January and we know from to who is the juice when we make the assemblage for our bottles.

Than from January to march, begins the tasting for assemblage.

We are allowed to buy or to exchange 5% of our harvest with another winegrower. We exchange mostly our Pinot Meunier with Chardonnay from Avize , Mesnil , Oger to make “Blanc de Blancs”, and keep some Pinot Meunier to do red wine of Champagne ( Côteaux Champenois) which will give us, after 3 years the assemblage for our wonderful Champagne Rosé. We never sell Red wine, just use it for our Rosé Perles de Rosée.

If you have any more questions, I can take the time it needs to give you answers and explanations.

With friendly greetings,

sECTION EN FRANCAIS

Collection particulière Champagne Gabriel Boutet photo personnelle, interdiction de reproduire

Plume fétiche de Patricia

d'un gros bouquet de plumes offert en 1974 par sa marraine éléveuse de Paon.

Cette plume a été utilisée pour l'élaboration du dessin de l'Egérie Miss Pat* sur notre bouteille

TOUTE REPRODUCTION EST INTERDITE SOUS PEINE DE POURSUITES