Ambonnay: From a 1582 Cross to a Chalk Cellar

In 1578, the village says, King Henri III let Ambonnay ring itself with ditches and ramparts and trade in wine once a year, on St Luke's day; its cross of 1582 still stands on the old market place. Today four vines in five here are Pinot Noir, and it is one of Champagne's 17 Grand Cru villages. You can find the evangelists on that cross, read a church of the 12th and 13th centuries from outside, count the marks the village says a champagne bottle left on a jet's tailfin in 1969, taste for free at a family grower, climb to a viewpoint in the vines, and go down into a cellar its owners say was dug into the chalk in the 17th century.

What to do there

6 things to do

1. 1 Find the Four Evangelists on the 1582 Cross History · Free

   Free, on Place de la Croix: the cross the commune says was raised in 1582.

   The commune says that in 1578 King Henri III let the community of Ambonnay ring itself with ditches, ramparts and drawbridges, and trade in wine once a year, on St Luke's day. In 1582 it raised this cross on the site of the old market.

   Where: Place de la Croix, about 130 m from the church.

   What: on the carved base, find the symbols of the four evangelists: the eagle of St John, the bull of St Luke, the lion of St Mark and the angel or winged man of St Matthew. Then follow the vine and olive leaves carved up the column.

   How: free, from the street, any day.

   Backup: none needed.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Find the Church's Oldest Stones History · Free

   Free, outside Saint-Réol: the restoration project dates the tower's base to the early 12th century.

   Built in the 12th and 13th centuries and classified a historic monument in 1922, this church was first dedicated to Saint Remi; relics of Saint Réol, recorded in 1672, gave it its name.

   Where: Église Saint-Réol, about 130 m from the cross.

   What: walk around the outside and find the portal of the second half of the 12th century, with its pointed arch and plain crocket capitals; the square tower standing on the north chapel; and the chevrons carved outside the central window. The restoration project dates the base of the tower to the early 12th century, the oldest part of the church.

   How: free, from outside, any day; restoration works are planned until autumn 2027, so parts may be under scaffolding.

   Backup: the tailfin in Square Lorraine, about 70 m away (step 3).

   Log Memory
3. 3 Count the Marks a Champagne Bottle Left Adventure · Free

   Free, Square Lorraine: the village says a champagne bottle would not break on a jet's tailfin.

   The village says the tailfin of a Vautour jet has stood in Square Lorraine since 1969, set there for the friendship between Ambonnay's Confrérie Saint-Vincent and the Lorraine squadron of the Reims air base. At the ceremony Captain Villeneuve tried to break a bottle of champagne on it and could not: the village says the jet's aluminium alloy is far more fragile than a champagne bottle.

   Where: Square Lorraine, about 70 m from the church.

   What: find the marks the village says the three failed attempts left in the fin, then the concrete base where the bottle finally broke.

   How: free, any day.

   Backup: none needed.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Taste Ambonnay Grand Cru for Free at J. Pérard Wine · Free

   Book the free tasting; zero-proof drinks on request.

   On the way from the cross, stop at the fountain where the roads to Bouzy and Trépail meet: the architect Tortrat built it in 1853-1854 so the village could have drinking water. It stands five metres high; count the three masks the water pours through.

   Where: Champagne J. Pérard, 9 rue de Reims, about 180 m on from the fountain.

   What: the house sells most of its champagnes as Ambonnay Grand Cru, one of them all Pinot Noir. Its classic tasting (1 hour, from one person) is free: book a slot on the house's online calendar. Non-alcoholic alternatives are offered on request, children get a soft drink, and the tasting room is accessible to people with reduced mobility. The Œnothèque tasting pours three Grand Cru cuvées in the cellar for 65 € a person, from two people.

   How: Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30-12:00 and 13:30-17:00; hours can change, so check the calendar; cancel free up to 48 hours before.

   Backup: Champagne Patrick Soutiran, 2 rue des Tonneliers, receives by appointment for sales and tastings, Monday to Saturday, 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00.

   Log Memory
5. 5 Climb to the Déjeuner sur l'Herbe Viewpoint Adventure · Free

   Free: up the slope to where the Panoramic Tour ends.

   Ambonnay's vines grow above the village, on the southern flank of the Montagne de Reims.

   Where: the last stop of the Panoramic Tour, 'Déjeuner sur l'herbe', on a minor road called the Chemin du Clos, up the slope, about 1.5 km in a straight line from J. Pérard's door.

   What: sit on the stop's furniture, read what it shows about sustainable vine growing, and scan its QR code for more on the area; the tourist office calls it a viewpoint 'from bottom to top'. Then look up to the forest edge: the park says that in October 2024 two chalk screes there were cleared and showed as two white patches above the vineyard; see whether you can still pick them out.

   How: free, any day, on foot, by bike or by car; keep to the road and out of the vine rows.

   Backup: Bouzy's stop on the same tour, 'La confrérie des Echevins', at the forest edge at the top of the chemin rural du Nonicart.

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6. 6 Go Down into Déthune's Chalk Cellar Wine · Price: low

   By appointment at Paul Déthune: a cellar the house says was dug in the 17th century.

   The Déthune family says its line of vine growers began in 1610 and has kept its house and vines only in Ambonnay.

   Where: Champagne Paul Déthune, 2 rue du Moulin, about 1.6 km down from the viewpoint and about 240 m from J. Pérard.

   What: on the private visit, see the press, the vat room with its oak foudres and Champagne barrels, the modern cellar and the cellar the house says was dug into the chalk in the 17th century; the visit ends with a tasting of the Brut Grand Cru. Ask about Les Crayères: the house says that cuvée is 100% Pinot Noir from a single parcel of one and a half hectares in the Ambonnay vineyard of that name, from vines over 50 years old.

   How: book ahead; visits by appointment, Monday to Friday 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, Saturday 9:00-12:00; closed Sundays and public holidays. Visit and tasting cost from 9 € a person, in English, French or Italian. Tasting is up to you.

   Backup: J. Pérard's free tasting (step 4).

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• Book ahead: J. Pérard's free tasting runs Tuesday to Saturday on its online calendar, and Paul Déthune receives by appointment Monday to Friday and on Saturday mornings, so come Tuesday to Friday to find both.

• No restaurant is on the commune's business list: the bakery on the boulevard des Fossés de Ronde closes on Mondays and the butcher-caterer L'Épicerie Champenoise on Sundays; Déthune recommends Le Bec fin in Bouzy, closed on Sundays and Mondays and on Tuesday evenings.

• Ask growers for the village's still red: the commune says a few due-south clay-siliceous plots make Ambonnay Rouge, which can only be sold as Coteaux Champenois, and the story goes that the village took as its motto 'À Bouzy le renom, à Ambonnay le bon' (Bouzy has the fame, Ambonnay the good).

• The town hall on the boulevard des Fossés de Ronde is not a tourist office; the area's tourist office is at Hautvillers, and its Panoramic Tour ends at Ambonnay's viewpoint (step 5).