Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/391696
{ SOMMjournal.com } 83 "Our key aspiration is to develop Champagne Collet into a distinct international brand of integrity," says Collet Export Specialist Antrim Duncan, "and for it to be renowned as a connoisseur-to-connoisseur brand within the restaurant and traditional retail trade. We are only at the beginning, but we have a long-term international plan for Champagne Collet." Champagne Collet launched in the United States in 2010 with industry veteran Jeff Bevan tapped as Vice President, Collet USA. The brand is represented in key markets by Opici, Louis Glunz and Johnson Brothers, and Bevan is proud that Collet is the Champagne pour at the renowned Bern's Steak House in Florida. "We first launched during the last recession," Bevan says, which slowed things down, "but we got the attention of a lot of sommeliers. Now people are coming to us." Charriaud sees America as a key growth market for Champagne Collet. "Our vision in the U.S. is to find the right partners who can be as passionate about Collet as we are," he says, emphasizing that he wants to be selec - tive. "We only want a quality share of the market." The Cuvées Chef des Caves Sébastien Walasiak produces eleven different cuvées at Champagne Collet. Suggested retail prices are noted for those currently available in the U.S. market. Look for more to arrive stateside next year as Collet amplifies its presence in the U.S. Champagne Collet Brut ($42.99) Champagne Collet Art Déco ($48.99) Champagne Collet Demi Sec ($50.99) Champagne Collet Rosé ($59.99) Champagne Collet Extra Brut ($56.99) Champagne Collet 2004 ($85.99) Champagne Collet Blanc de Blancs ($64.99) Champagne Collet Collection Privée Blanc de Blancs (available in the U.S. 2015) Champagne Collet Collection Privée 2006 ($99.99) Champagne Collet Collection Privée Rosé Dry (available in the U.S. 2015) Champagne Collet Esprit Couture ($125) In this 650-foot chalk labyrinth rest over 30,000 bottles of Champagne Collet; these bottles help tell the story of the cooperative, through the great men and great vintages that are acknowledged here. Displayed throughout, panoramic photo- graphs from photographer Michel Jolyot make the connection between the terroir and Champagne and recall the beauty and diversity of Champagne's villages and landscapes. La Villa Collet was purchased by the CO.GE.VI. in 1935. The one-time residence of Founding Member of the Society, Raoul Collet, now houses an Art Déco–themed Visitors Center" La Villa Collet features themed salons dedicated to the art, culture and history of the Champagne Collet brands. Each room is a unique depiction of the Champagne Collet Collection.