KNOW-HOW
REFLECTED IN
WINE

Preamble

The history of Champagne Lacroix-Triaulaire started as soon as 1917: two families represented by two men from Aube region – one is a farmer, the other one runs a local hardware store – they meet and they become friends during the Great War. Ten years later, the lives of their respective children, Lucienne Cosson and Jacques Lacroix, begin a new bloodline.

Living at first from livestock breeding and cereal crop, Jacques, with his brother Jean, decide quite early to find a farm to take over so as to continue the passion for working the land inherited from their ancestors. In the late 1950’s, when the Ministry of Agriculture launched large projects of land clearance in the Aube region, the family Lacroix took the occasion to write the first chapter of their history: they owned more than 250 hectares then and bred up to 700 sheep.

On 3rd October 1951, the love between Lucienne and Jacques was marked by the birth of François, then in 1953 that of Philippe. François, brought up by his grandmother, started studies to get his Certificate of Agricultural Studies and rapidly applied his know-how with a House of Champagne. There he acquired some wine experience enriching his land education and his knowledge, by reading thousands of books. As he became a young wine-grower, he also learnt about vinification and wine trade. Ambitious and promising, François was quickly appointed team leader and broker.

The FutureMarie-Claire and Théodore, wine-growers thirsting for knowledge

Passion, know-how, inventiveness and culture have shaped Marie-Claire and Théodore’s childhood. Their respective paths can testify this heritage

Théodore

Théodore got his Scientific Baccalaureate in Troyes and got a two-year Diploma (DUT) in Agronomy Biology in Nancy. Then he passed a Degree in Vineyard Sciences in Dijon and got his National Diploma in Oenology (DNO) in Montpellier. With his many professional experiences during internships made in Landes, Mâcon, at Épernay CIVC, in Cahors, in Australia and also within a Champagne winegrowing estate, he built a strong foundation of knowledge and expanded his approach of vine culture, winemaking and trade.

When he joined the family estate in June 2007, he grew the vines and wine with method, avant-garde and passion. He was led by the soul of his pioneering ancestors, the ardour of their work and the passionate creativity of his father.

Beyond the family estate, he made his very first wine harvest as a young wine-grower exploiting the 75 ares (1.85 acres) he acquired personally. In 2009, he had the opportunity to purchase 45 ares (1.11acres) of vines, allowing him to think already about a new structure.

Marie-Claire

Marie-Claire followed literary studies, then foreign languages in Dijon. After an Erasmus Degree spent in Spain, she took a Master in Angers. She made an internship in Finland, at the French Embassy, to promote the Wines & Spirits department. Then she went back to Montpellier, to follow her curriculum in Master 2 in Wine Trade, while choosing oenotourism thanks to an internship at SGV (General Trade-union of Wine-growers) in Pic Saint Loup. She started her professional career in Sancerre, including the international promotion of Sancerrois Museum.

Her attraction for foreign languages and the promotion of wine made her realize that her eagerness to defend wine-growers ‘estates could actually strengthen the history of Champagne Lacroix-Triaulaire, thereby enhancing the inherited family passion.

Her will to go back to the family estate led her to get a Professional Certificate in Farm Management, during which she learnt about accounting, management, œnology and viticulture.