Mindy H.
Yelp
Pommery was one of the two champagne houses I visited with my friend during our visit to Reims. It was my least favourite, as the service wasn't as good, the champagne not as tasty, and seemed a bit on the cold side, like a giant tourism machine cranking out the people.
Pommery is about a 40 minute walk from the train station, and the tourism office has a very nice map of all the local champagne houses that provides a clear view of how to navigate from the train station to Pommery.
Most of the champagne houses require reservations in advance for tours w/ tastings, but at Pommery it is not mandatory, as long as your willing to wait for the next open tour in your preferred language. They have 30 minute or 1 hr tour options w/ a variety of different tastings associated. We chose the 30 minute tour with 1 tasting of their Brut Royal for 12E. This also happened to be the cheapest option. During the 30 minute tour you get a brief look into the history and champagne making process at Pommery while descending into and exploring the labyrinth tunnels of chalk tunnels connecting chalk pits originally created during the Roman period. The chalk tunnels were found to be ideal for the champagne process as they remain at a steady chilled temp, and they suck up the extra moisture. The owners have also made things a bit more interesting by putting "unique" modern art exhibits on display throughout the tunnels.
I had booked my reservations in advance via the Pommery website, and exchanged a few emails to confirm the booking. They were slow to respond to my initial request, and they were not helpful in answering my generic questions, like directions on how to locate Pommery from the train. Their only response was to take a taxi. However, the 40 minute walk is very doable, and easy. Customer service was definitely lacking.
Upon entering the great gates of the Pommery champagne house I was impressed by the chateau (Castle) like estate, which was originally built as a castle and renovated by the Pommery family. As you walk in you wait for your tour to start in a large warehouse like room, with some random art pieces, and a tasting table to the far right, and a small shop at the front. Definitely catering towards large tourism groups. The tour guide was informative, and the tunnels were fascinating and loved seeing the ageing bottles piled under heaps of dust. You also got to see several actual chalk pits which narrowed towards the top as they reached into the real world, much like a chimney top.
At the end of the tour, we were provided with the tasting we chose. The champagne itself was OK. Pommery definitely has a strong marketing team, as they have fun packaging, that is geared towards a younger audience and screams "let's celebrate and party".