Tag: champagne harvest 2015

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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Champagne Harvest 2015 – Mineral in the making at Pascal Agrapart 

  This morning I visited the Côtes des Blancs for the first time this harvest.  There has been a lot of talk of oidium problems however the grapes looked gorgeous at Pascdl Agrapart. “I am really happy, we are receiving ripe, healthy grows with lots of flavours”, says Pascal When we arrived Chardonnay from Les Biones in
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Champagne Harvest 2015- beautiful biodynamic grapes at Bourgeois Diaz and Françoise Bedel

     Yesterday I sPent the day in Croutes sur Marne, the last village of the Vallée de la Marne when driving to Paris. It is a rare village with 2 biodynamic producers – seeing there only are 25 certified producers in Champagne. We started our day at Jérôme Bourgeois, who was picking Pinot Noir
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Champagne harvest 2015 – the sweet Pinot Noir of the Clos des Goisses

 This afternoon I spent a few hours with Charles Philipponnat in the Clos des Goisses; without a doubt one of the steepest and most beautiful vineyards of the Champagne region.  The harvest started here today and is advancing a lot faster than expected. Charles explaines: “we harvested an extra plot, which was not planned. The
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Champagne harvest 2015 – portrait of a harvester: Nicolas Pinodel

  Nicolas Pinodel, a recently graduated architect student, is experiencing his first harvest in Champagne at Olivier Horiot. When asked why he chose to come and work harvest he explains: “a friend of mine had a contact to work harvest here, another friend had worked here last year and really enjoyed the experience. It seemed
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Champagne Harvest 2015 – taking about the flowers and the bees with Dominique Moreau and Roland Piollot

 The catch with live blogging is iPhone battery as I am finding out.. And when you run out, not only is there no live post, but also very few pictures… I visited Dominique Moreau and Roland Piollot, another awesome couple of wine makers in the Aube on the way back home. They started their harvest
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Champagne Harvest 2015 – The Clos St Sophie in Montgueux by Emmanuel Lassaigne

  The Clos St Sophie is the only Clos in Montgueux and one of only 3 Clos in the Aube. Since 1913 it belongs to the Valton family. Etienne Valton, founder of the Petit Bateau brand, bought it after Marcrl Dupont passed away; Dupont, a professor in Agriculture,  had founded the property as a plant
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