History of the Maison
Maison Michel Forgeron: a family and terroir story since 1909
As told by Francine Forgeron
In Segonzac, in the heart of Grande Champagne, the story of Maison Michel Forgeron is closely bound up with that of a family, a vineyard and a limestone land shaped over millions of years.
1909: the beginnings of a family venture in Segonzac
In 1909, as Louis Blériot was making the first flight across the English Channel, Jean Gonthier, Michel Forgeron’s grandfather, was also eager to spread his own wings.
His ambition was to buy a small wine-growing estate in Segonzac, in the heart of Grande Champagne, the premier cru of the Cognac appellation.
For many years the family kept the deed from this candle auction (“à la bougie”), an old document that brings to life, with some emotion, the customs of another era.
This purchase marks the beginning of a family history deeply attached to the vine and its terroir.
Grande Champagne: a limestone land shaped by time
The family vineyard lies on geological formations from the Campanian, a stage of the Upper Cretaceous dating back several tens of millions of years.
This terroir is characterised in particular by its clay-limestone soils and chalky formations.
In these soils, the roots of the vine can reach deep down, exploring the different layers of the subsoil to draw the water and nutrients they need to grow.
For our family, this relationship between the vine and the land is essential. It shapes the identity of the eaux-de-vie produced on our estate and the way they express the Grande Champagne terroir.
Fossils, witnesses to an ancient marine world
Long before our vineyards appeared, this region had a long marine history.
The sediments laid down over this geological history helped to form the limestone ground we know today.
We find many fossil shells in the soil, witnesses to this ancient life.
Over time, our family has built up a collection of different species. These fossils tell a story far older than that of our house: the story of the landscapes and marine environments that came before the vineyards of Cognac.
They remind us that terroir is also the memory of the land.
A family history rooted in the terroir
Since the estate was acquired in 1909, the bond between our family, Segonzac and Grande Champagne has remained at the heart of Maison Michel Forgeron’s identity.
Beyond its geological features, this terroir is for us a heritage: land that has been farmed, observed and handed down through the generations.
Our story is part of this continuity.
It is a story we love to share with everyone who comes to visit us in Segonzac.
Francine Forgeron
Good to know: Grande Champagne and the Campanian
Grande Champagne is one of the six crus of the Cognac appellation. Its subsoil includes limestone formations from the Campanian, a stage of the Upper Cretaceous.
Despite their similar names, Grande Champagne in Cognac and the Champagne wine region are two distinct areas, each with its own history and characteristics.
