Burgundy merchant Maison Champy sold to France's AdVini

French wine group AdVini has continued its recent spending spree with the purchase of Burgundy négociant Maison Champy.

AdVini said that its acquisition of Beaune-based Maison Champy from Pierre Beuchet includes more than 22 hectares of vineyard on the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy.

It encompasses land in Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune and Aloxe-Corton, and Pernand-Vergelesses estate Domaine Laleure-Piot, acquired by Champy in 2010.

AdVini did not dislcose a fee for the deal, but Burgundy has some of the most expensive vineyards in France.

Thierry Bellicaud, head of AdVini-owned Domaine Laroche in Chablis, will lead Champy. But the existing team – including director of vineyards and wine operations Dimitri Bazas, vineyard manager Francis Simon and cellar master José Ramalho – will remain in place.

AdVini also plans to develop Champy’s historic winery and cellars, situated on Rue du Grenier à Sel in Beaune, with architecture said to have been inspired by the Eiffel School. An investment plan will be drawn up for the company’s vineyards and winemaking operations.

Founded in 1720 and claimed as the first négociant to establish a base in Burgundy, Maison Champy was bought by rival Louis Jadot in 1989, but the company and its base in Beaune was sold on a year later.

Beuchet said he was ‘glad’ that AdVini had bought Champy, adding, ‘What they demonstrate with their outstanding vineyards, first and foremost with Domaine Laroche in Chablis, is a guarantee of permanence and success for a company that I led with passion.’

‘We are very proud to be purchasing an iconic Burgundian company which dates back to the origins of négociant trading in Beaune, and whose work attracts the attention of opinion-leaders worldwide,’ said Antoine Leccia, AdVini CEO.

The deal comes a month after AdVini acquired a controlling stake in South Africa Chenin Blanc specialist Ken Forrester, plus the Bonheur Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.

The company owns more than 2,000 hectares of vineyards across France, including Laroche, Ogier in the southern Rhône and Antoine Moueix in Bordeaux, plus Viña Casablanca in Chile, in partnership with Santa Carolina.