Regional representatives of the Association Viticole Champenoise define the ideal time for starting the grape harvest; they rely on a series of samples of selected plots. The harvest period takes about 3 weeks. That has to do with the limited time during which the grapes are perfectly ripe. The different grape varieties in the Champagne region are harvested around the same time. Each ‘vendange’ differs from the previous one: ripeness of the grapes, the acidity and the alcohol will be different. Harvesting is completely manually; the grapes must remain undamaged during picking. They should be sent undamaged to the wine presses too, in boxes that are specially made to prevent the skins being in contact with the grape juice.
The return of a vintage is regulated: the standard production is 10 400 kg / ha, but each year the ‘Institut National des Appellations d'Origine’ can determine the return to be higher or lower, depending on the quality and volume of the harvest. This yield restriction is complemented by a limitation on the amount of juice that can be squeezed: 2550 litres of juice on 4000 kilos of grapes (4000 is the volume to be put in a traditional grape press). The yield per hectare is about 66 hectolitres. As soon as the grapes reach the presses, they are weighed and recorded in a register. That way one can identify them by date and time of picking. They are pressed per lot (depending on the size of the wine press) which allows figuring out where they come from. A check on the minimum alcohol degree is also part of the work to be carried out.
During pressing, the juice is separated: the first 20.5 hl forms the 'cuvée‘, the subsequent 5 hl is called the "taille”. The cuvée produces wines with great finesse, with subtle aromas and a good taste; these wines also age better. The grape juice is collected in tanks, called 'cuves de débourbage' where it is purified. At this point the first fermentation of the grape juice will start, in order to obtain a fruity and aromatic wine. After 12 to 24 hours, the juice is transferred to a room with stainless steel wine vats. Here, the first steps of the Vinification will take place.
The first fermentation of the champagne wine is the alcoholic fermentation, which converts the must into wine. The yeasts 'eat' the sugar and thus produce alcohol and carbon dioxide, along with other elements that will characterize the flavour of the wine. This fermentation occurs just after the pressing, in stainless steel vats. The malolactic fermentation is the process that converts apple acids (malum is Latin for apple) into lactic acid (lac is Latin for milk) and carbon dioxide. They let the flavours evolve in the wine.
The blending of champagne wines is a response to the volatile nature: parcels, harvests and years can lead to quite divergent results. The winemaker will blend wines so as to achieve clearly more than the sum of the qualities mixed. One can assemble wines of several parcels, of different grape varieties (chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier) or of several years. Of course the wine maker can also decide to only assemble one of these dimensions: for example a ‘millésime’ if the vintage of a year is sufficiently exceptional to be elaborated without reserve wines, or an exceptional grape variety as our Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs with its typical flavour. One could even assemble wines of a parcel, a municipality or a hamlet.
Filling the bottles – called the ‘tirage’ - may not happen before 1 January of the year following the vintage. Filling, followed by fermentation in the bottle, are intended to make a foaming wine, hence the French name "prise de mousse". To achieve this fermentation a liqueur is added, called the ‘liqueur de tirage’, which is composed of sugar, yeast and a remuage component.
After the bottles are filled, they are sealed by a cap in polyethylene, called the "bidule", and then closed with a crown cap. Then they are taken to the basement and placed "sur lattes", i.e. piled in long rows with wooden strips in order to reach more stability. During this fermentation, which lasts 6 to 8 weeks, the yeast will consume all sugars, and bring in the wine next to alcohol and carbon dioxide also esters and superior alcohol contributing to the typical flavour characteristics of the wine.
Far away from the light the bottles remain in our basement for a long ripening period. The basement plays a key role in this important stage of the wine-making process, with a constant temperature of 12 °C. This maturation, which is called in French "maturation sur lies", brings very specific aromas in the champagne wine. Between the bottling and marketing must be at least 15 months, at least 12 of which "sur lies". For millésimes that period will be three years. These time limits imposed by law, which are already important compared to other sparkling wines, are in reality much longer. See the tokens of our Champagnes with give precise information about our retention periods.
After this long rest period, the wine gets its brightness by removing the residue that has been formed during the "prise de mousse". This is called the “remuage”, whereby sediments (yeast and remuage additives) are collected in the neck of the bottle, and then removed during the phase of 'disgorgement'. To this end, the bottles are gradually brought from their horizontal position into a nearly vertical one, with the neck down. This way the residue falls into the bottle neck. At Champagne Doyard Mahé this operation is still manual on wooden tables (‘pupitres') . The bottles are regularly turned 1/8 or 1/4, and at the same time gradually placed vertically. The residue falls and the wine becomes very bright.
This phase is followed by the disgorgement: the residue is removed from the bottle neck. The neck is immersed in an ice-cold solution (-27 ° C), so that in the neck of the bottle an ice pack is produced which retains the sediment. As soon as we open the bottle, the internal pressure causes removal of the plug, losing only a limited amount of champagne and pressure. During this operation a small amount of oxygen will flow into the bottle; it will – together with the liqueur de dosage which is now added - contribute to the evolution of the aromatic characteristics of the wine. The added liquid, which is also known as 'shipping liqueur', is usually composed of candy dissolved in older champagne. Check the specifications of our champagnes in order to know the exact quantities that we use.
The dosage is the last operation of the wine before the bottle is finally sealed with a cork.