The harvest: the result of a harmonious year of work between nature and humans.
La cueillette des raisins
La vendange est une étape méticuleuse, qui débute bien avant les premiers coups de sécateur. Dès que les baies commencent à se colorer, nous surveillons attentivement l’évolution de la maturation des raisins pour déterminer la date optimale de la vendange sur chaque parcelle. Il faut attendre d’avoir un équilibre parfait entre le taux de sucre et le taux d’acidité pour obtenir un jus de qualité. Une fois que la date optimale de la vendange est déterminée, la cueillette peut commencer. Soigneusement sélectionnées, les grappes sont récoltées à la main, pour ne pas écraser les baies et avoir une bonne préservation des raisins jusqu’au pressurage. Les grappes de raisin sont ensuite délicatement déversées dans des caisses pour être immédiatement transportées jusqu’au pressoir.
The pressing
Once arrive, the grapes are weighed, inspected, and recorded before being immediately pressed. The pressing process is very important in the production of our champagnes and requires special attention. Once into the press, the grapes are pressed whole. The pressing is conducted slowly and progressively. The juice, called must, flows by gravity into the belon. The press is fractioned to separate the juice from the first press, known as the cuvée, from the subsequent press, the taille, to keep only the best. The must is then transferred to stainless steel vats, except for our Fût de Chêne cuvée, which is transferred to old barrick.
After completing the press step, we collect the rest of the grapes, such as skins or stems to distill and reuse them in the production of certain cosmetic products. To preserve the unique characteristics of each of our grape varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we press them separately. The slow and delicate process of the Champagne press allows us to extract the juice from our Pinot Noir without altering its color. It is this ancestral savoir-faire that gives our champagnes their beautiful golden robe.
The settling
After the transfer of the juice to the vats, the fragments of skin, pips, and other sediment settle at the bottom of the vats. To preserve the quality of the juice, we proceed with clarification, 24 hours after the juice transfer. Clarification involves extracting the juice from the bottom of the vat and transferring it to another vat, while the sediments are being removed and sent to the distillery. This operation marks the beginning of the winemaking process. The juice in the vats is regularly monitored to ensure its quality before bottling.