Comtes de Dampierre is in Chenay, near Reims. It is owned by a French aristocrat, Comte Audoin de Dampierre. His family has been in the Champagne industry for many generations, but in 1986 the count re-fashioned the Champagne house by emphasizing that the estate produces mostly Grand Cru and Premier Cru Champagnes. At that time he also revived the pre-20th century tradition of affixing the cork to the Champagne bottle with twine rather than wire. Today the prestige cuvees from Dampierre are corked with twine, a process called “ficelage” in France. Dampierre Champagnes are one of the official wines served in the French presidential palace and the estate makes a full line of vintage a non-vintage Champagnes from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.