What Verzenay and Verzy are for this side of the Montagne, Hautvillers is for the other side of the Montagne, sought after tourist attractions. In France it is difficult to find a place that is open on a Sunday, but with many visitors arriving during weekends Hautvillers is one village where you'll find champagne houses open on a Sunday morning (but then don't go on a Monday, you'll find closed doors).
Haut means high, and that is exactly what Hautvillers is - a village high up, just below the forest. Just outside the village you'll find a lookout point where you can admire the valley below, with the Marne river traversing through it.
The village is also known for its church, where you'll find the grave of the 'father of champagne', the famous Dom Perignon, as well as that of another champagne monk, Ruinart (which is also a well known champagne brand today). The church has a long history, it was founded in 650, destroyed by the Normands in 882, restored by the English and then they've burnt it down in 1449. Reconstructed again, destroyed by the Huguenots in 1564. Then the infamous Catherine de Medici donated a large sum of money to restore the church one more time. Although the official birth date of champagne dates back to 1668, Dom Perignon arrived in Hautvillers in 1658.
It is a village one should explore by foot (not that the time always allows us when having visitors, so with Colette, Jo-lene and Paul it unfortunately had to be a drive through the village). The many wrought iron signs are a big photographic attraction. The use thereof originated in the middle ages to enable the illiterate to know what activity takes place inside (it was used purely for commercial purposes). However, in the last century, people started to use it to show their type of work/their interest/their history.
Parisian-born JL was very excited when he saw the one below, as it is an emblem of Paris
Like in Verzenay, you sometimes get a surprise when a door is left open. From the street you'll often think it is the outside of the house, but when you get a peep, you realise there's a little courtyard in front of the house:
Hautvillers' mairie:
As most bottles today are turned mechanically (yes, I'll still do a posting on the champagne making process), many champagne houses use the old wooden bords in which they've turned the bottles by hand nowadays for decoration, putting flower pots in it.
One of our favourite champagne houses is situated in Hautvillers:
Above, three signs with the names of the only grape varieties allowed in the making of champagne - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay
Below, they have a pretty garden behind the house offering a spectacular view.
Above: their tasting room, below: their sign
Below, the view in early spring
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