Why Leonardo DiCaprio is investing in Telmont Champagne

he American actor Leonardo DiCaprio, renowned for his commitment to the environment, has decided to invest in Telmont Champagne, a part of the Rémy Cointreau group. As a minority shareholder, he has joined the capital of the Damery-based Champagne house, which has rolled out a number of ambitious sustainability-focused projects since current president and shareholder Ludovic Du Plessis joined the company.

“From protecting biodiversity on its land to using 100% renewable electricity, Maison Telmont is determined to radically lower its environmental footprint. Proud to join as an investor”, said DiCaprio in a tweet on Tuesday 22 February. The initiative was enough to convince the Californian actor and protégé of Martin Scorsese, who has an impressive track record and has headed up his own foundation since 1998.

The news, which was announced in a press release issued by Maison Telmont, stems from an ambitious project launched in 2021 called ‘Au nom de la Terre’ or ‘In the Name of the Earth’ after the Rémy Cointreau group bought the company in 2020.

The sweeping, multi-faceted programme aims to transition all of Telmont’s vineyards to organic by 2025, despite the fact that Champagne as a region has barely 4% of vineyards certified as organic.

“Leonardo DiCaprio's stake in Telmont is an amazing message of support, which encourages us to carry out our ambitious projects. We share the same beliefs and the same commitment to environmental protection”, said du Plessis. “I put forward the idea of bringing a personality like Leonardo DiCaprio on board to the management committee and to Eric Vallat, director of the Rémy Cointreau group, and they were all happy to approve the proposal. Then Covid came along and we sent some bottles to Leonardo [DiCaprio] in Los Angeles. We tasted the wines together remotely one evening during lockdown until 1am. He was delighted”, recounted du Plessis.