The Josselin family have been winegrowers for generations, acquiring their first vineyard in 1854 on the land abutting Gyé sur Seine, a champagne village crossed by the Seine river.
Starting with some parcels inherited from his parents, Jean Josselin labored hard and built his vineyards among the best hillsides of the region, replete with evocative names: Beauregard, Davasgné, Cosvigne.
In 1957, the great champagne adventure began, when he created his own brand: Champagne Jean Josselin.
The vineyards of the Côte des Bar, located 150km from Epernay and 200km from Reims, are crossed by two rivers: the Seine and the Aube. The region extends from Bar-sur-Seine to Bar-sur-Aube, and includes the famous vineyards of Les Riceys.
Our village of Gyé-sur-Seine is in the southern part of the Champagne region, in the heart of the Seine Valley.
The Côte des Bar became part of the official Champagne region at the beginning of the 20th century. It is located in an eastern zone on calcareous soil referred to as ''Kimmeridgian,'' referring to the geological age.
These vineyards are influenced by a northern climate and the continental shelf near Langres.
A parcel of vines is not without its flaws!
It is up to the winegrower to make best use of it through appropriate choices: root stock, grape varietal, method of cultivation, the vine’s vigor, searching for the best products.
By practicing viticulture bit by bit, we learn the intricacies of our parcels. It is a long and exacting task, and requires attention at all times.
Our region is characterized by its hills, steeper than those of our neighbours in the Marne. Their climate is oceanic, while ours is continental, our soil type is clay and limestone, while the soil of the Marne is quite chalky.Our soil produces rounder winnes, with a more pronounced winey taste.
Our vineyard constists of 14 parcels, for the most part in the communal territory of Gyé sur Seine and the neighboring commune of Neuville sur Seine. At a distance of about 4km from the vineyards, we must cross trails, forests and valleys to find our vines living peacefully to the rhythm of the moon and the seasons, lulled by an almost religious silence, disturbed only by the presence of the birds and wild game.
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Pressing After the delicate stage of the harvest comes the pressing, always respecting the traditions and rules of the champagne appellation. The grapes are pressed as soon as possible after collection, in order to avoid coloration of the juice from the skins. The choice of a traditional "cock" style winepress allows for a gentle and slow press. It treats the different areas of the grape berries with respect, and enables us to get more than one press: the "cuvée," fine and balanced, and the first "taille," fruitier and more supple. The First Two Fermentations The first fermentation is called alcoholic fermentation, which converts the wort (juice) into wine. It takes about one week.The wine is then racked several times to obtain complete clarification. The second is called malolactic fermentation, and takes a month and a half or more, depending on the year, until after the end of the harvest. This fermentation changes the harsh malic acid in the wine to softer lactic acid. The Blending It is an art of finesse, which requires know-how and talent, to marry together wines which have not yet matured, of different varietals and different years, in order to obtain a balanced and harmonious wine. This is because there is no single "champagne," but rather, many champagnes made according to each house's preferred style. After blending, the wines are filtered. Then comes the time of bottling called "tirage". At this point, we add a "liqueur de tirage" composed of sweet wine and yeast. Closed with a simple stainless steel cap, the bottle is laid on laths or in a pallet box, and placed in temperature-controlled storage or in our cool, dark caves. Bottle Fermentation The slow transformation of sugar under the effects of the yeast gives rise to bottle fermentation (sometimes referred to as "secondary fermentation"), which creates fine, persistent bubbles and light foam, the defining features of champagne. This fermentation causes the yeast to settle. A Long Rest When the fermentation is complete, the bottles stay in the cellar until the wine reaches its full maturity. Time plays an important role in the quality of the wine. The Extraction Champagne methods used to eliminate the deposits in the wine bottle include riddling and disgorging. Riddling consists of rotating the bottle a quarter turn every day for 3 to 5 weeks. We used to use traditional slanted boards. Today, these boards and the hand of the winemaker are replaced by gyropaletts. The disgorgement expels the deposits which have accumulated in the neck of the bottle. These are perhaps the most delicate steps of all. The Dosing The last step is to integrate the "liqueur de dosage," made from cane sugar which the cellarman dissolves in a liter of older wine. The proportion of liquor added determines the final type of wine (brut, dry, semi-dry). The bottle finally receives the traditional cork, firmly held in place by the muzzle. The champagne has in fact a pressure of 5 atmospheres. |
What does the status « independent winegrower » mean for a farmer in champagne?
The independent winegrower produces his champagne or his wine with the fruit of his culture from his lands.
Here are what the rules require: A member of the Regional Federation of Independent Winegrowers:
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