A SUBTLE ART

We wait patiently until the grapes are fully ripe and have the right balance between freshness and softness, acidity and sweetness; only then will we allow picking to start. The entire crop is delicately crushed in a traditional wooden press which is rare these days, but we feel it gives the best quality juice. Grapes of each variety from each village and from each plot of vines are pressed and vinified separately so that the same diversity can be found in the myriad aromas of the wines to come.

After fermentation we let the wines rest for 8 months in order that their full aromatic potential can develop.

Every year we set aside a certain proportion of the wines, those which show the greatest potential for development, and we store them in oak barrels of various sizes. These “reserve wines” as they’re called, benefit from slow micro-oxygenation through the wood. Later, when they are blended with other wines, the extra maturity brings more substance to the blends and lends our champagnes the extra complexity that gives them their unique character.

We’re fortunate to be able to select from a very wide range of wines from a multitude of different vineyards and different styles:  different geological characteristics, different exposure to the sun, wines from different grape varietals, wines from old vines or younger vines, reserve wines and wines from the most recent harvest, wines stored in oak barrels or in steel vats … in the same way that an artist choses from the many different pigments on his palette we get to chose how we blend the mosaic of tastes and aromas that give each of our champagnes its individual personality and which also preserve our own unique style: the perfect balance between structure, elegance, concentration and fruitiness!