Making the champagne

Respect for the environment, respect for tradition, adherence to strict specifications, local roots, and human values—these are just some of the reasons that led us, in recent years, to entrust the production of our Champagne to the cooperative in our village.

The cooperative of Nogent L’Abbesse was founded in 1961 and carried out its first harvest that same year.

Since then, the winemakers of the Mont de Berru have worked tirelessly to craft a Champagne of character, combining their expertise with the traditions of the Champagne region!

A structure that is both modern and traditional, a commitment to human values, environmental respect, and a strong quality policy all enable our cooperative to produce a truly exceptional Champagne.

Pressing

At optimal ripeness, the grapes are harvested by hand between late August and mid-September, depending on the vintage.

4,000 kg of grapes are needed to produce 2,550 liters of juice.

Our Champagnes come exclusively from the first pressing (approximately 2,000 liters), known as “la cuvée.” Alcoholic fermentation takes place in tanks… Once completed, the wine is racked—an operation that consists of separating the clear wine from the sediment at the bottom of the tank.

Blending

Champagne is a blended wine. Throughout the winemaking process, the cooperative’s oenologist and we, the winegrowers, taste the wines and carefully select blends of different terroirs, grape varieties, and vintages from the Mont de Berru to create a consistent, high-quality product.

Bottling

In the spring following the harvest, the wine is bottled—this is known as “tirage.” A liqueur de tirage (a mixture of sugar and yeast) is added to each bottle to trigger a second alcoholic fermentation inside the bottle. This is when Champagne is born.

Ageing

From the moment the wine is bottled, it must age in the cellar for a minimum of 15 months before it can legally be sold.

But time is our ally… This aging period ranges from 24 months to over 60 months for vintage cuvées.

This time of maturation brings greater complexity and finesse to our Champagnes.
At the end of this period, the bottles are gradually moved from a horizontal to a vertical position to bring the sediment into the neck—this is the riddling process. Whether done manually or mechanically, riddling is a crucial step in the preparation of the wine.

Disgorgement

The final step before commercialization.

Disgorgement involves opening the bottle and expelling the yeast sediment collected in the neck.

The bottle, still in an upside-down position, is placed in a freezing bath at -25°C, which freezes the sediment. It is then expelled when the bottle is opened, thanks to the internal pressure (about 6 bars).

Each bottle then receives a dosage liqueur, which determines its sugar content and allows us to offer different styles in our range (EXTRA BRUT, BRUT, DEMI-SEC, etc.).

A cork and wire hood (muselet) are placed on the bottle to complete the Champagne-making process.