The Manufacturing Process

The method used to make sparkling Champagne is today known as the méthode traditionelle. To summarise briefly, the process consists of several stages, some of which are the same as in normal wine production. The wine starts life with primary fermentation and bottling, at which time the wine is still. The sparkling nature of the wine is introduced during a second alcoholic fermentation in the bottle, induced by the addition of fresh yeast (usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae although each brand has its own secret recipe) and several grams of sugar. The bottle is then capped and riddled so that the lees settle on the neck of the wine bottle, from where they can be removed in a process known as disgorgement, prior to resealing with a cork.

Harvesting and First Fermentation

Grapes used for Champagne are generally picked earlier than is the case for still wines, and this relative immaturity means that sugar levels are lower and acid levels higher than is normal for most other wines. Except for pink or rosé Champagnes, the juice of harvested grapes is pressed off quickly, to keep the wine white. The first fermentation takes place in the same way as with any wine, with the natural sugar in the grapes being converted into alcohol, with the carbon dioxide produced during the fermentation process being allowed to escape. The base wine produced in this way is not intended to be drunk as it is, and is in fact quite acidic due to the relative immaturity of the grapes at harvest time. Champagne may, depending on the specific wine, be a blend of several different such base wines, and it is at this point that blending takes place - after the first fermentation, which if you think about it is crucial if wines being blended were made from grapes which matured at different times. Such blending will normally include wines from various vineyards, and, in the case of non-vintage Champagne, various years. Most Champagne is not oak-aged, and stainless steel tanks are used to house the assemblage at this stage. Rare oaked wines will spend time in oak before progressing to the next step. The resulting assemblage is the raw material for the next step in the process.....

Secondary Fermentation

The blended wine is bottled, and along with the wine is included a small amount of a yeast/sugar solution called the liqueur de tirage, which will be converted to alcohol and produce further carbon dioxide during the secondary fermentation. The purpose of this is to create the gas, and it does not determine the level of sweetness in the wine - that step comes later. The bottles are sealed with a cap and stored horizontally, during which time the secondary fermentation takes place. The Champagne must now stay in bottle for a minimum of 18 months under Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée rules, during which time the secondary fermentation completes and flavour is developed, aided by the contact between the wine and the "lees" - the dead yeast cells and other solid by-products of fermentation, which now sit at the bottom of the bottle (in fact along one side, as the bottle is horizontal). For exceptional years when a vintage (millesimé) is declared, the wine has to mature for at least 3 years rather than 18 months. During the secondary fermentation the carbon dioxide is trapped in the bottle, keeping it dissolved in the wine. The amount of added sugar will determine the pressure of the gas inside the bottle - the standard value is 6 bars, for which 18 grams of sugar is required in a 75cl bottle. The secondary fermentation normally converts all the sugar, leaving the wine very dry at this stage.

Riddling (Remuage)

Towards the end of the time during which the wine matures in bottle, it is necessary to remove the remaining solid waste trapped inside the bottle, and this is achieved through the processes of remuage and disgorgement. In the process of remuage, the bottles are placed on special racks called pupitres, at an angle of 45º about with their necks pointing down. Over a 6-8 week period, each 2-3 days, the bottles are given a slight shake and turned and dropped back into the pupitres, with the angle slowly increasing towards vertical. The sediment gradually works its way towards the neck of the bottle. This manual method, by a remuer, has today been largely abandoned because of the high labour costs, and the process mechanised.

Disgorging/Dosage

These 2 processes complete the manufacturing process to the point where the final cork is fitted to the bottle. The first, through which the final removal of the sediment is effected is called disgorging (dégorgement in French). Remember, the bottle is now vertical, neck down, with the sediment sat on top of the cork, and the rest of the wine is clear. Originally, this was a skilled manual process, where the cork and the lees were removed together, with minimal loss of liquid. Some loss was inevitable however, and the bottle would be topped up with a small amount of "liqueur de expedition" - a mixture of base wine and sugar - the quantity of which determines the final sweetness in a process known as dosage. The main purpose of the sugar is to balance the acidity of the Champagne rather than to actually achieve overt sweetness - Brut Champagne will only have a little sugar added, but only Champagne called nature or zéro dosage will have no sugar added at all. The final cork would then be fitted and the bottle sealed. Disgorgement/Dosage were invented by Madame Cliquot in 1816, and prior to this, Champagne had been a cloudy wine - very rarely this style is still seen today, known as "méthode ancestrale". Modern disgorgement techniques involves dipping the neck of the bottle in a freezing solution, creating a small plug of frozen liquid adjacent to the cork, trapping the sediment. The cork and plug are removed, dosage applied, and the bottle recorked.

Drive south of Épernay through the Côtes des Blancs on the road that passes through the Grand Cru villages of Cramant, Avize, and Oger, on the way to Mesnil, and the premises of Jean Milan are pretty much the first that you come to as you enter the village of Oger. To the left (east) is flatter land, to the right, the vine-covered hills rise majestically above the village, reinforcing the sense of solidity and tradition in these parts. Today, the house of Milan produces mainly white wines of exceptional quality, but it has a history going back to 1864, when it was founded by Charles Milan to grow grapes to sell to the Grandes Marques of the day, such as Krug, Veuve Cliquot, and Pol Roger (who still have a small vineyard holding in Oger to this day.) It was Charles who had dug the underground cellars that were cut into the chalk rocks and which are in use to this day to age wines. In those days, Milan also operated a pressing facility for the big producers, and a very limited amount of this activity persists to this day. The then head of the family, Henry Milan, and his team, acquired substantial knowledge about the making of good Champagne from this work, and eventually started producing their own wines independently of the big boys. Milan is quite a conservative house in terms of winemaking - very traditional methods such as hand remuage, use of a traditional Coquard press, hand-disgorgement, and use of old casks all evidence of this. My contact at Milan is Caroline, who looks after the business today for the 4th generation of Milans since the business was founded. The wines from here are nothing short of stunning; Milan uses 100% Chardonnay for it's wines (except for the rosé) and all the fruit is of the highest quality and is sourced from plots in and around Oger. The Village sits in a natural basin, at a slightly lower altitude than the surrounding villages, and enjoys a slightly higher average temperature and hence better ripeness. The chalky soils and beneficial microclimate mean Oger is regarded as one of the finest locations in the Côtes des Blancs for cultivation of the noble Chardonnay grape, and the terroir in Oger and neighbouring Avize gives a subtle minerality and graphite spiciness to the wines, along with power and weight. Milan's is a small Domaine - it has just 6 hectares of vines, scattered over some 42 plots, aged on average some 33 years. But this is not enough, given the demand for the wine, and to expand, it has been necessary for Milan to acquire négoçiant status, allowing it to buy additional fruit, which is sourced from trusted neighbouring landowners, but all the vineyard husbandry is carried out by Milan, thereby ensuring 100% control over the quality of the fruit. The real problem for Milan, and other small growers in these parts, in one of availability of Grand Cru land. Vineyards are tightly held, and rarely come onto the market. When they do, prices are stratospheric, and the Grandes Marques are usually waiting in the wings to snap up whatever they can get their hands on - and land, once owned by a Grande Marque, is likely to be lost forever to the private market. It is simply very difficult for the small grower to acquire vineyard sites. During my recent visit, Caroline related the story of a small parcel which recently came on the market, where a landowner was retiring. A Grande Marque wanted to get it's hands on the site, but the owner, more inclined to keep it in the hands of small producers, subdivided it into a number of even smaller plots, and sold it to several existing landowners.

To summarise:- Milan is a top quality family producer in the Côtes des Blancs - a real "find" - producing superb wines of great purity, with graphite-pencil minerality beneath layers of exquisite fruit. Real terroir wines.

 

 

 

 

This is Champagne production on a truly micro-scale. Didier Pierson and his English-born Wife Imogen Whitaker make a small number of wines from their lovely 19th century Champagne house in the old village of Avize in the Côtes des Blancs, just a few km south of south of Épernay. Total production is currently a mere 23,000 bottles a year, made from grapes grown on their own land, supplemented by some fruit bought from trusted growers. Production is mainly Chardonnay, with some Pinot Noir. These wines are really delightful, and also represent good value for money.  The couple also run a Chambre d'Hôte business from their house, and it is possible to stay here in one of the lovely rooms, so if you are thinking of a break in the Champagne district, look no further! (Click here for more information). 

The offices of the Aÿ-based firm of Roger Brun are located in the very heart of the town, adjacent to the 15th century church, in a small haven of peace and tranquility far from the bustle of the busy streets just a couple of hundred metres away. Brun is a small family firm, with just 6.5 hectares of vines, but what vines - most are premium sites in the immediate vicinity of the city of Aÿ. Before being known by crossword-puzzle enthusiasts, Aÿ was known in the Middle Ages for its noticable quality of wine, not yet sparkling but already appreciated at Royal tables. In the 15th and 16Ith centuries, kings of France and the most famous sovereigns of Europe purchased vineyards in Aÿ. The Brun family's association with the Aÿ wine trade began in the 19th century, when as well as being barrelmakers, they made red wine. The original Roger Brun, grandfather of present incumbent Philippe, learnt the art of Champagne making while working for Moët & Chandon in the early 1900s during the phylloxera crisis, and the Brun family have held a passion for Champagne ever since. The quality and style of the Roger Brun Champagnes was confirmed by Decanter magazine's tasting of non vintage champagnes in August 2003. In a comprehensive flight of 117 wines that included wines from top houses, growers, négociants and cooperatives, the Roger Brun NV brut outscored many grander names. Brun today makes a fine range of wines, mainly white, but also a fabulous rosé, which enjoy a fine reputation.

Visiting Champagne? Check out Brun's new Bed and Breakfast: Le Logis des Pressureurs in the heart of Aÿ. It's impossible to be closer to the heart of Champagne!