Author: Caroline

Champagne harvest 2015 – choucroute at the Boulards to lift the mood on this rainy last day of harvest.

In between class preparations I managed to visit the Boulards on this wet Wednesday. It rained cats and dogs when Delphine Richard took me out to the winery to talk about this years harvest. It was her first of being totally in charge now that Francis Boulard retired in July.  Delphine started harvest on the
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Champagne harvest 2015 – a day in the vineyard and winery with the Lahaye family

On Wednesday I spent the day with the Lahaye family. After lunch Benoit first took me to the Argentière vineyard where we checked on the ripeness, before joining his pickers in the youngest part of the Jardin de la Grosse Pierre. For the last 10 years, Benoit has employed a Turkish family paid by the
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Champagne Harvest 2015 – harvesting the bioenergetic Clos de Cumières with Hervé Jestin

The Clos de Cumieres is a 0,5 organic vineyard owned by biodynamic wine guru Hervé Jestin. He bought the land and big farmhouse bordering the Clos from the Leclerc family in 2009 and has been vinifying the parcel since 2010. “Whilst working for Leclerc Briant I realized the fruit from the Clos was very very
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Champagne Harvest 2015 –  harvesting la Rue des Noyers at Benoit Dehu

  On Friday, a biodynamic fruit day, Benoit started harvesting his Rue des Noyers vineyard. Well, since his wee accident it is not actually him going into the vineyard but he is very much in charge in the winey. Benoit fell 5 meters to the ground when helping with the finishing touches of his new barrel
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Champagne harvest 2015 – enjoying a sunny Friday at Champagne Tarlant en Vendanges

As the sun climbed higher in the sky it became t-shirt weather as I pulled up to Champagne Tarlant. It seems it’s always sunny when I visit the Tarlants during harvest; maybe because Benoit, Melanie, Micheline and Jean-Marie are always full of love and light! Or maybe because I know I will drink a little
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Champagne Harvest 2015 – honey and grape juice from Chouilly at Champagne Lenoble

  On Friday morning I visited Christian Holthausen and Antoine Massagne at Champagne Lenoble. Their harvest started a few months before the official starting date when the collected the honey from the beehives they keep in the vineyards in Chouilly. “we feel it is important for the biodiversity to reintroduce bees in the vines. We picked
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Champagne Harvest 2015 – talking biodynamics with Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon and Johann Merle of champagne Roederer

  On Thursday I had lunch with Jean-Baptiste Lecaillion and Johann Merle at the Roederer press center at Aÿ. As always we exchanged a lot on biodynamic and organic farming and how it helped Roederer this growing season.  “This year we farmed 75 hectares of the 240 hectares of Roederer’s own vineyards biodynamical. We really see
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Champagne harvest 2015 – tasting juice from Vitry at Champagne Legras et Haas 

 Last night we visited Jérôme Legras, one of the 3 brothers at Legras et Haas. Legras et Haas press 35 hectares during the harvest: 23 hectares from Chouilly – of which 18 hectares are family owned and 12 hectares from Vitry. They vinify a further 25 hectares.  When we arrived in Chouilly, a few trucks
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