Louis Casters : Traditional Champagne

05/10

Winegrower

Champagne Louis Casters, well known in the Flemish region of Belgium owing to the family's Flemish roots, is built on family values and traditional methods that are rare these days, resisting the pressure to expand too quickly.

“Our mother was of Flemish descent, as was our grand-father, Louis Casters,” Johan Casters, son and heir of the Casters dynasty, points out immediately. The Casters have been owners of the champagne house, Champagne Louis Casters, located in Damery, for 4 generations. “This fact facilitated trade with Belgium and 70% of our sales are to this country. The majority of clients that come to the domain are Flemish.” The history of this small House started in 1899, with Eugène Cadel, the enterprising founder who was then in charge of a pressing and alcohol manufacturing business in the village of Damery. It was here that he built the current champagne house. A merchant, he always managed to get it right when it came to economic developments in champagne. In 1920, his daughter, Elizabeth, married René Filaine, with the champagne taking the name Cadel-Filaine. Their daughter, Marguerite, Johan’s grand-mother, married Louis Casters, a Belgian from Limburg. The brand became Champagne Louis Casters and developed particularly in Flanders where they had a social network. In 1972, Jean-Louis, Louis and Marguerite’s son, also married to a Flemish lady, pursued the champagne house’s ascent, which consisted of 10 hectares of their own vineyards in Damery and 30 hectares of external supplies. The recent development of sales to Japan is a strong, encouraging sign, rewarding all their hard work. The family spirit remains as does their friendliness and an eye for quality. “We work using traditional methods, intervening as little as possible,” explains Johan Casters. The single varietals are the flagships of the House’s savoir-faire They are boosted by driving forces such as the cuvée Eugène, in honor of the founder, a champagne which is a blend of 3 wines from 3 different years (2000, 2001, 2002) using 3 grape varieties - 70% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir which has been aged for a year in oak barrels. It is a cuvée that symbolises the precise, “traditional” work of the Louis Casters House.

Anne-Marie Chabbert