History
To produce Champagne of the finest quality in the art form, we aligned with world-renowned winemaker Nicolas Maillart to create our Champagne Eric Phillip. The origins of the Maillart family’s Champagne date back to 1720 when the family’s first producer, Nicolas, began growing grapes and crafting wines. The family’s Champagne origins are confirmed by the archives of the village of Chamery. For almost 300 years, the family has passed down their expertise and knowledge from father to son for nine generations.
Nicolas Maillart now carries on the family’s legacy of crafting award-winning Champagnes. Nicolas has been producing his wines since his early 20s after spending his academic career preparing himself to take over the family business. He focused on a higher technical diploma in viticulture-enology in Bordeaux, followed in 1998 by enology and agricultural engineering studies in Montpellier. These two complementary qualifications provided him with a solid basis for working both in the vineyard and the winery. He also went abroad to learn about techniques and practices used elsewhere, traveling first to Oregon – home of the USA’s best Pinot Noir – in 2000, and to South Africa in 2002, a choice motivated by its climatic similarity to Champagne and because of the outstanding quality of its white wines. Armed with family expertise and knowledge, Nicolas perpetuates the family tradition to maintain the House philosophy – to bring out the potential of each terroir and enhance the flavors of the grapes in this wine so symbolic of conviviality and pleasure.
Our 8.5 hectares of vines (70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay) are planted on the Montagne de Reims – the home of Champagne’s Pinot Noir vines – in three outstanding villages, allowing us to integrate a variety of nuances in flavor. At Champagne Eric Phillip, we only produce from our vineyards in Grand Cru and Premier Cru status villages.
Our Family:
Eric J. Rothchild
Eric Jon Rothchild was introduced to the art of Winemaking by his grandfather, Nathan Rothchild, during the 1960s. Eric started collecting wines in his late teens and kept journals of his tasting while attending college. His passion for wine evolved while in medical school. He then attended numerous professional wine tastings and traveled to Europe for further exposure and knowledge to the wine industry. Eric elevated his winemaking experience by enrolling in a two-year program in Winemaking at the University of California, Davis. He completed this program and graduated with a Certificate Degree in Winemaking and Viticulture.
Eric has traveled to meet with winemakers from many prestigious chateaus, wineries, and vineyards throughout France, Italy, and Spain. This exposure has fostered his strong interest in creating a fine wine that would rival those made from the great European houses. Eric’s understanding of the intricacies of enology now allows him to create a fine wine worthy of drinking today as well as one to cellar for many years.
Our family has now established a presence in Rutherford, California, the heart of the Napa Valley wine country. We wish to offer the highest quality Napa Valley wine for others to enjoy from the family’s experience.
Next Generation
Eric’s three sons, Taylor, Pierce, and Grayson, have been exposed to the wine industry most of their lives. They were formally introduced to fine wines and taught the nuances of Winemaking by their father, Eric Jon Rothchild. Taylor, Pierce, and Grayson have all worked during the summers in Napa Valley since their teens.
Taylor J. Rothchild
For the last decade, Taylor and his father Eric have together produced several vintages continuing the legacy. Taylor was exposed to the winemaking business from an early age. In his teens, he worked for the prestigious Inglenook Winery (formerly Rubicon Estate) owned by Film Director Francis Ford Coppola. Taylor discovered the various nuances of operating a winery from simultaneously working across multiple departments within the chateau.
Taylor has traveled the world learning about wines from France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and many others. After finishing his JD/MBA program, Taylor took on a more active role in the business, focusing on scaling the winery and expanding the wines’ portfolio. Taylor crafted and introduced the winery’s first Rosé wine (Tayson Pierce Rosé) and a new line of Champagnes produced in France exclusively for Tayson Pierce called Champagne Eric Phillip.
Behind the Maison Name
The wine label Tayson Pierce originates from the combined names of Eric and Susan’s three children Taylor, Grayson, and Pierce, and signifies their combined efforts to create an exceptional vintage. In following with our family tradition, we hope that the future generations of Rothchilds will continue to pursue excellence in artisan wine creation.
