1.The Champagne soil

Some 70 million years ago the Champagne area was covered with sea water. The vineyards lie on a chalky sub-soil which gives Champagne great fineness. The three grape varieties grown in Champagne, namely Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, are in perfect accordance with that soil. The chalk assures good drainage of rainwater and acts as a temperature regulator.
The chalk also permits to store Champagne wines in the cellars in the best conditions and at a constant temperature of 8-12°C.

2.The vine work

Wine growers’ life is governed by vine work and wine-making tasks.

Pruning :
This is the most important activity for the grower as the future harvest highly depends on it. Pruning takes up a lot of time: from April to November according to the weather conditions. It aims at selecting the shoots bearing the bunches of grapes.

Binding :
After the pruning operation the canes are bound to intermediate wires to give the vine the desired shape: this is called binding and takes place from February to April.

Lifting :
From mid-May to July, the shoots are attached to wires above the vines and directed upwards so that they can have the maximum benefit from light.

Flowering :
In Champagne we say ‘the flower’, a crucial stage. Any drop in temperature at that point could be catastrophic. It is usually said that the harvest will take place 90 to 100 days after the flowering.

Tying up :
The wires are attached with clips and the foliage is distributed so that the vine gets its final shape.

Disbudding :
This means removing the unnecessary shoots.

Trimming :
After the tying up, the grower can drive his tractor equipped with a trimming tool between the vine rows without any damage. He cuts the shoots above the wires so that the vine can concentrate all its growth into the bunches of grapes. This is made from July through to the harvest.

Disease control :
The grower carries out as little treatments as possible, but diseases must be avoided. For some years we have been applying the method known as sexual confusion to reduce the appearance of grubs in the bunches.

During the summer, the sun provides the grapes with all the ripening qualities required before harvesting.

Harvest :
The result of one year work expresses with beautiful bunches, thick grapes and sweet juice. The picking of the grapes is exclusively done by hand. A great activity can be observed everywhere in the Champagne vineyard at that time. The grapes of our house are pressed in our own press. Then it is time for another work…

3.Elaboration of Champagne

Pressing :
Pressing takes place immediately after the harvest. Grapes are picked by hand and pressed the same day. Our press can accept 4,000 kg of grapes at each pressing (4,000 kg of grapes are called a marc). During the pressing, the juice flows into special vats called belons. The juice will then decant: this is the débourbage (must clearing). At the same time, the wine-maker carries out the process of sulphiting to protect the must from oxidation in contact with the air and facilitate the decanting. The juice now called must is racked with the aid of pumps, then stored into fermentation vats.

Each pressing of 4,000 kg, or must, is strictly controlled :

    Cuvée (first juice)……20.50 hl in 3 stages (10,25 hl / 6,15 hl / 4,10 hl)
    Taille (further pressing)………5 hl

Fermentations :
The first fermentation, called alcoholic fermentation, takes place in the vats. It lasts about three to four weeks. The grape sugar is then transformed into alcohol and carbon dioxide is produced. At this stage, the must is boiling with a small noise: it is called bouillage (boiling). Space is left in the fermentation tanks to avoid the must boiling over.
When the fermentation is finished, the wine is racked to remove foreign matters.

The second fermentation, called malolactic fermentation (biological process), can be spontaneous or controlled. The malic acid of the wine is then transformed into lactic acid through the action of specific bacterial means. This operation considerably reduces the acidity of the wine.

Clarification :
The wine is then clarified by filtration to eliminate the remaining matters that would be prejudicial to the aromas.

Blending :
In April the wines from the different vats are tasted and blending trials are carried out. Blending is made by combining wines from the different vines and grape varieties of the year. A small amount of reserved wines from previous years is then added. The blending, which is a very delicate operation, is an essential stage to ensure specific taste continuity.

Bottling :
Once the blending operation is over, sugar and yeast are added before bottling to trigger further fermentation in the bottles. The yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, which one remains trapped in the bottles.

Effervescence capture :
The fermentation which takes place in the bottles is called prise de mousse (froth forming). It requires about one month and a half and should develop slowly to obtain fine bubbles. The bottles are stored horizontally, protected from light and at a temperature of 9-12°C.

Ageing :
The wine must then age for a certain time: at least 15 months for a non vintage Champagne and 3 years for a vintage one. It is the time for the aromas and taste to develop.

Riddling :
A deposit has formed in the bottles during the previous phase, which has to be removed. To that end, the bottles are inclined on sloping racks, neck downwards, so that the deposit can settle onto the bottle neck. During three weeks, the bottles are then given a quick twist of 1/4 of a turn each day, at the same time brought gradually to a more vertical position. When the bottles are almost vertical (sur pointe /neck downwards) and the deposit has settled onto their neck, the riddling operation is over. The disgorging phase can now start…

Disgorging :
Disgorging aims at expelling the deposit – which has been frozen beforehand – under the action of the bottle internal pressure. A small amount of liqueur made of sugar and old wine is then added according to the type of wine. The bottle receives its final cork covered by a wire clasp.

Labelling :
The final stage consists in putting the label, a tinfoil capsule and a neck band.
Champagne bottles labelling is subject to strict rules.