History
Lucien Leclerc founded the business at Cumières in 1872. The family’s later Épernay identity took shape in 1955 when his great-grandson Bertrand Leclerc and Jacqueline Briant moved it to chemin de la Chaude Ruelle. Their surnames became the combined house name as the estate business developed into a trading house.
The producer dates Bertrand’s biodynamic work to the late 1950s. Pascal Leclerc, representing the fifth generation, subsequently pursued full certification. La Croisette, the Épernay vineyard planted in the 1960s, was cultivated biodynamically from its beginning. It remains both a physical plot beside the winery and the name of a single-vineyard Champagne.
Mark Nunelly and Denise Dupré acquired Leclerc Briant in 2012. Frédéric Zeimett joined the renewed company, and Hervé Jestin became associated with its winemaking and biodynamic programme. The production site contains more than a kilometre of cellars extending 35 metres below ground. The present estate account gives fourteen hectares, supplemented by purchased organic or conversion grapes.
The house’s single-vineyard range includes La Croisette, Les Monts Ferrés and Les Basses Prières, keeping named parcels separate from the broader Classiques blends. Abyss added a maritime experiment: an official-site-hosted account of the 2017 release records disgorgement in June 2021, immersion at 60 metres in the Baie du Stiff near Ouessant, and return to Champagne in 2022.
Le 25bis, at 25 bis avenue de Champagne, occupies an eighteenth-century merchant’s house. Its guest rooms and wine boutique give the producer a second Épernay setting, separate from the working winery at number 67 chemin de la Chaude Ruelle. The two properties connect the history of a Champagne trading town with the estate’s modern production and experimental wines.
Fourteen hectares and La Croisette
The house’s current vineyard account gives an estate of 14 hectares. Its named Grand Cru sites include Mailly and Le Mesnil; Premier Cru villages include Hautvillers, Cumières, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Bisseuil, Rilly-la-Montagne, Villers-Allerand and Trépail. The business also buys grapes from growers certified organic or in conversion.
Leclerc Briant traces its biodynamic practice to Bertrand Leclerc in the late 1950s and says Pascal Leclerc, the fifth generation, pursued full certification. The estate vineyard is now certified organic and biodynamic. La Croisette is the small Épernay plot seen during the winery discovery: planted in the 1960s and cultivated biodynamically from its beginning, it also gives its name to a single-vineyard cuvée.
What the winery appointment covers
The official visitor site lists the presses, barrel cellars, vat rooms and wineries among the production spaces introduced on a visit. La Croisette provides the vineyard component; the rooftop offers a view over Épernay and its surroundings. Admission is by appointment, through the house’s official visits calendar.
Hervé Jestin’s production account describes at least nine months of barrel ageing before extended bottle maturation in the cellars, with little or no dosage. The winery’s different vessels are part of its experimental approach, not a museum of equipment belonging to another house. The visitor address remains 67 chemin de la Chaude Ruelle, telephone +33 3 26 54 45 33, email info@leclercbriant.com.
Two current named experiences
The tourist office currently sells “Expérience Immersion” from €80 (checked October 2026): a winery and cellar visit followed by four cuvées, comprising two from the Classiques range and two from the Parcellaires and/or Spécialités ranges. Its operator-supplied listing gives 1–10 people per guide, French language and tasting for adults only. The meeting point is 67 chemin de la Chaude Ruelle.
“Expérience Privée” starts at €150 (checked October 2026). A private ambassador leads a customisable visit ending with four of the house’s distinctive cuvées; the listing gives 4–12 participants and French. Neither of these product pages supplies a reliable visit duration, so no duration is attached here. Their current named prices take precedence over older generic directory tariffs of €40 and €75.
The Classiques range
Leclerc Briant divides its wines into Classiques, Single Vineyards and Specialities. The posted Classiques selection includes Réserve Extra Brut, Rosé Extra Brut, Blanc de Blancs 2019, Millésime 2020 Extra Brut, Rosé de Saignée Extra Brut, Blanc de Meuniers 2018 and Avize Grand Cru 2020. The Immersion product specifies two Classiques but leaves the exact bottles to the house.
The Single Vineyards list names Les Chapottes 2019, Les Basses Prières 2020, Le Clos des Trois Clochers 2019, Les Monts Ferrés 2019, La Croisette 2017, Derrière les Clos 2019, Les Carelles 2018 and Château d’Avize 2015. The Spécialités list includes Grand Blanc 2016, La Croisette Gold 2016, Abyss 2018 and Abyss Rosé 2019. These are the releases displayed in October 2026, the selected visit determines which of those labels is poured.
Abyss: a maritime maturation experiment
An official-site-hosted press account of Abyss 2017 describes equal proportions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, fermented in steel and wood. After three years on lees and disgorgement, the bottles spent a further period 60 metres underwater in the Baie du Stiff, where the English Channel meets the Atlantic near Ouessant.
The same account dates the 2017 release’s disgorgement to June 2021 and its return to Champagne to 2022. Those dates apply to that particular release; the house’s current list displays Abyss 2018 and Abyss Rosé 2019. The sea ageing is a bottle experiment associated with Leclerc Briant, not a place reached on the Épernay cellar tour.
A specific single-vineyard comparison
The same official-hosted press dossier describes Les Monts Ferrés 2018, from a single Chardonnay plot in Vertus Premier Cru. Its iron-rich chalk is reflected in the vineyard name. That release spent ten months in oak and four years on bottle lees; disgorgement is dated November 2023, dosage 1.5 g/L, with fewer than 5,000 bottles produced. Those figures identify a particular release, not the later 2019 vintage on the current range list.
The Avenue alternative: Le 25bis
Le 25bis occupies an eighteenth-century merchant’s residence at 25bis avenue de Champagne. Its official site lists five guest rooms and a wine shop where Leclerc Briant Champagnes can be tasted and bought. The boutique and garden terrace provide an Avenue visit without claiming that the production winery is underneath this building.
The five rooms differ substantially. Room 1 is 63 square metres with a separate lounge and sofa bed, for three adults or two adults and two children. Room 2 is 40 square metres for two adults, with terrace views; Room 3 is 47 square metres, facing the terrace, garden and vineyards. Room 4 is a 56-square-metre room in the eaves, overlooking the Avenue. Room rates come from the accommodation booking page, not a tasting tariff.
Reaching the two Leclerc Briant addresses
Le 25bis’s own directions give ten minutes on foot or four minutes by taxi from Épernay station to the Avenue guest house. Those figures apply to 25bis avenue de Champagne. The winery calendar instead names 67 chemin de la Chaude Ruelle: a separate reception point which must be used for Immersion and private cellar reservations. The street addresses, not the shared brand name, determine the arrival route.
Staying at the house’s Avenue address
Le 25bis advertises three reception rooms, a wine shop and secure locked guest parking with an electric-vehicle charging point. Its services page also lists four electric bikes with GPS, available with helmets by reservation. These are guest-house services, separate from inclusion in an Immersion or private winery ticket.
Access and facilities
Room 5 at Le 25bis is a 56-square-metre family room in the eaves, accommodating two adults and two children with views over the garden and vineyards. The rooms page lists complimentary breakfast, tea and coffee facilities, Wi-Fi, a minibar and a shower and/or bath. Its published reduced-mobility restriction applies to the rooms; access requirements for the working winery must be discussed with the visitor team at the Chaude Ruelle address.
The property explicitly states that its rooms are not accessible to people with reduced mobility. For bedroom arrangements, use +33 3 26 56 40 70 or reservationle25bis@leclercbriant.com. The Épernay accommodation directory provides Booking.com options, while the town guide distinguishes the Avenue addresses from the uphill winery entrance. The guest house’s own location and services pages supply its current room and parking details.
Leclerc Briant’s cellar visits start at 67 chemin de la Chaude Ruelle, on Épernay’s higher ground. Le 25bis, at 25bis avenue de Champagne, is its separate boutique and guest house. The two addresses offer different experiences: a working-winery appointment uphill or a tasting and overnight stay on the Avenue.
Official booking and sources
Open the house’s visitor page for the named venue. Visitor information and quoted tariffs reviewed 23 October 2026.
Plan nearby visits
Build your visit into a fuller stay with our Épernay guide, compare tours and packages and find somewhere comfortable to stay.
Plan your trip to Épernay
Get there
Book a tour
Select the departure point and date on the booking page. Check the meeting point, language and inclusions before paying.
Compare toursWe may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.