Why it matters
The producer
Jules Mumm gave Cordon Rouge its red ribbon, patterned after the red sash of the French Legion of Honour. The house began with Jacobus, Gottlieb and Phillip Mumm, German winemakers from the Rhine Valley, alongside G. Heuser and Friedrich Giesler. Pernod Ricard has owned G.H. Mumm since 2005.
The house operates almost 25 kilometers of cellars. Its Champagne vineyards and underground storage support a maison built around Cordon Rouge and a broad supply of fruit from the region.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Reims places G.H. Mumm in the heart of the Champagne wine growing region. Champagne is associated with sparkling wine made through a second fermentation in bottle, while lees ageing can add bread and pastry notes as the bubbles soften.
Cordon Rouge draws on 120 crus, using Champagne's cru system to combine fruit from multiple classified sites in one house wine rather than presenting a single vineyard.
Wines to know
The range in view
G.H. Mumm Mumm Cordon Rouge is a three grape sparkling wine. The house also makes Champagnes without a vintage and vintage bottlings, with different ageing periods before release.
Champagnes without a vintage rest for two and a half years, while vintage bottlings rest for at least five years. Time on the lees allows the yeast to contribute aromas such as brioche and pastry and gives the mousse a softer texture.