In 1973, Jean-Marie Malassagne, nephew of Joseph and grandson of Armand-Raphäel by his mother, took over from Joseph and kept the estate in the family. The only son of Marie-Madeleine Graser and Léon Malassagne, he grew up in Chouilly. As soon as he finished secondary school, this son of a winemaker began to work in his family’s vineyards. But these years in the vineyards were marked by harsh winters and cruel frosts. Harvests were very small (the average yield per hectare in 1951 was 2900 kg) and the resulting production of champagne was not significant enough for him to support himself. Life in the vineyards of Champagne was very difficult.
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Armand-Raphaël, the pioneer, was succeeded by his son, Joseph, the happy-go-lucky chap who liked to spend money, in 1947. Jo was blessed with a strong flair for public relations but he he lacksed the managerial skills of his father. His extravagant social life cost him dearly and upon his retirement in 1973, the house was consumed by debt and none of his children was keen to follow in his footsteps. Although it appeared that no future was possible, two new generations would soon follow that would breathe new life into the business. — Armand-Raphaël, le pionnier, a été remplacé par son fils, Joseph, le type joyeux qui aimait dépenser de
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In 1947, Joseph Graser succeeded his father Armand-Raphaël as one of only 2 boys among 7 children. As his brother Jean-Marie decided to become a priest, it was « Jo » who logically took over the reins of business. A graduate of HEC and a scholar, he even became the mayor of Damery. Much more extroverted than his father, Joseph added a much more festive spirit to AR Lenoble, and organised many parties at the domaine. He also started to export AR Lenoble. —- En 1947, Joseph Graser succède à son père Armand-Raphaël. Son frère Jean-Marie ayant décidé de devenir prêtre, c’est « Jo » qui a logiquement repris les rênes des affaires. Diplômé
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At the start of the 20th century, life in the vineyards was extremely hard. Practically nothing was mechanised, the yield per hectare was very low, and the price of grapes fluctuated according to the whims of the negociants. Growers had no choice but to sell their grapes to the negociants. There was no CIVC, and there were no cooperatives or unions of any kind to defend the interests of the growers. But as a broker between houses and growers at the start of his career, Armand-Raphaël worked very hard to defend the interests of the growers.  On the 2nd of August 1914, war was declared, and Armand-Raphaël was called to
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The story of Champagne AR Lenoble began in 1870 when Joseph Graser left his native Alsace to settle in Champagne as his wife was from the region. Upon his death at the age of 44 years old, his son Armand-Raphaël was left charge of the family and became a wine broker at a very young age. In 1914, the first world war started and Armand-Raphaël was sent into combat. A few years later, he was awarded the Legion of Honour in recognition of his exemplary conduct. In 1920, after arriving in Damery with his entire family, he started producing Champagne. With the armistice still fresh in the minds of the
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The global pandemic COVID-19 has changed life for all of us, of course, but for Anne Malassagne and her brother Antoine, owners of AR Lenoble, it has been doubly galling because 2020 is the year they were going to celebrate the Champagne house’s centenary. Here, in an in-depth and colourful piece, Christian Holthausen retraces the family history through 100 years of hardship, puts COVID-19 into a global and historical perspective and brings us bang up to date with the last 25 years during which Anne and Antoine set out a gameplan on how to remain independent and ensure at least another century of great Champagne while many houses around them
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LOVE for AR Lenoble Rosé Terroirs : Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits, Wine Enthusiast, Tyson Stelzer, Le Figaro…