Cultivating grapevines

Everything starts by tilling the land and cultivating the grapevine until the grapes are perfectly ripe.

Great care is taken when working with the grapevine: pruning is carried out manually from November to March, binding, disbudding is conducted in May to eliminate useless shoots, tying up the vines, etc.

We favour manual cultivation techniques and respect the identity of each terroir in order to promote their unique organoleptic qualities.

The winegrowing activities come to an end during the grape harvest, which is carried out exclusively by hand to ensure the bunches of grapes are of the best quality.

Grape pressing

Immediately after picking the grapes, we press the bunches whole. The fresh grapes are pressed according to their varieties.
We have our own wine press, which guaranties the quality of the process and of course, our future wines.

Grape Fermentation

The grape must that is obtained during pressing is placed separately into different vats and are identified with their variety, year and vintage. Our vats, which were enlarged and modernized in 2010, allow us to conserve our very deserving wines, from one year to another: our reserve wines in particular.

The first fermentation process, triggered by yeast action, takes place for 10 to 15 days. The sugars which are naturally found in grapes are transformed into carbon dioxide, alcohol and a great number of other molecules which will contribute to the aromas and flavour of the future wines.

Blending

This delicate stage is primordial, requiring participation of all the members of our family.

By creating a subtle union of our clear wines made from crus and grape varieties from various years, we aim to conserve the quality and authentic taste of our champagnes which has defined them for the past three generations.

Racking

Then, the bottling process, called racking, begins. During this stage, we add a bottling dosage (yeast) in order to trigger the second alcoholic fermentation process.

The bottles are conserved in our cellars for varying periods of time, depending on the wine batch (cuvee), at a constant temperature and away from direct light. These ideal conditions foster the second fermentation which ends when the wine starts sparkling.

Final stages

The bottles are then riddled and disgorged in order to remove the sediment which is created during the second fermentation stage.

Just before putting the cork in the bottle, we add a "liqueur de dosage" which will determine the kind of wine : brut nature, brut, demi-sec, etc.

For an optimal ageing process, the bottles are conserved in our cellars for at least three years. The bottles will then be beautified and labeled before they end up on your tables.