Bibendum & Campari shake on Champagne partnership

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 23 February, 2024

Bibendum and Campari have teamed up to give a fresh boost to Champagne Lallier, with the Campari-owned house now joining the on-trade distribution’s portfolio of premium brands.

Champagne Lallier was purchased by Campari back in 2020 after over a hundred years of sparkling wine history in Ay, in the heart of Champagne’s Grand Cru region.

Champagne Lallier will now be exclusively wholesaled to the on-trade through Bibendum and to independent merchants through Walker & Wodehouse. Bibendum will also work in partnership with Campari UK to focus on driving the sales and distribution of Lallier’s Réflexion series, including its rosé and blanc de blancs iterations. Campari Group UK will continue to manage all brand activity as part of this UK-only agreement.

Read more: Wine sales in premium on-trade still below pre-Covid levels

“I’ve been blown away by the new developments that Campari has brought to Champagne Lallier since they purchased it in 2020,” Andrew Craig, Champagne buyer for Bibendum and Walker & Wodehouse said.

“The improvements Dominique [Demarville, cellar master and general manager] has brought to all the wines is very evident. This was particularly apparent when tasting the vin clair in November 2023 in its winery. With the newly released R.020 as the cornerstone of the range, Lallier is a true rising star of the region.”

Founded back 1906, the domaine is now led by Demarville, who was previously chef de cave at Veuve Clicquot. Demarville’s focus has been to ‘make the most of the area’s brilliant terroir’, Bibendum said in a statement. This includes ‘utilising generations of knowledge of the Lallier team to create the perfect balance of purity, freshness, intensity and depth’.

More recently, Lallier has made its mark with its innovative Réflexion range. Unlike a traditional NV Champagne, the cuvée aims to express the individual character of the year’s harvest. The R.020 Brut Multi-Vintage cuvée is Demarville’s first blend as Lallier cellar master and general manager.

“We have worked closely with Bibendum on our spirits range for the UK for some years now,” Francesco Cruciani, MD of Campari UK added.

“Observing their expertise in premium wine made them the natural choice to launch Lallier’s uniquely fresh perspective on premium Champagne in the UK this year, especially as we continue to scale the brand.”

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