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229 Champagne AC NV Brut Les Vignes de Montgueux
Jacques LassaigneGrape:100% Chardonnay BdeB (12% alc.)
The south-facing vines here give a delicious, vibrantly fruity (hints of grapefruit/mango) mineral champagne. Viticulture is organic (another vigneron ‘sans papiers’) and natural yeasts only are used. It is made 70% from 2007 with 30% oak aged 2006 reserve wine, and was disgorged with 5g/l of dosage in October 2010.
Technical Information Winemaker: Emmanuel Lassaigne Location: Montgueux, west of Troyes Size of
domaine:5 hectares (of which 3.5 for LVDM) Grape: 100% Chardonnay, 35 years old. 8000 vines per hectare. Terroir: Upper hillsides of Montgueux. Older strata of chalk (upper cretaceous) than in the Côte des Blancs. South-east facing vineyard and 20% slope, thin soil, just 10 to 40cm over the chalk – a little flint also found in the soil. 8 small parcels. Viticulture: Organic though not certified. No herbicides or pesticides. The soil is either ploughed 100%, ploughed 1 row in 2 or sowed with grass 100%, according to the specific parcel. Debudding sometimes carried out but no vendanges en vert. Because they are in the south of Champagne, harvest earlier than in the north and by hand. 75 hectos per hectare. Vinification: Pressed by old vertical 400kg Coquard press. Small stainless steel cuves used for fermentation, plus 3-6 year old 225 litre barrels. Natural indigenous yeasts only used. Each parcel vinified separately. Works with very little sulphur, and only used at the vendange. First fermentation averages 11% with no chaptalisation. The fermentation lasts for between 1.5 to 4 months. 70% of the wine comes from the main vintage (cuve aged) and 30% from the preceding year (aged in oak for 1½ years). Malolactics completed 100%. Neither fined nor filtered. Bottled off in April after vintage with just 20 to 22 g/l of sugar (the norm is 24 g/l) to give a finer, more gentle mousse. Aged under cap for 20 months sur latte. No sulphur at degorgement. Disgorged with a 5g/l dosage and other bottles of LVDM to replace the 3% of champagne lost at degorgement. Keeps the wine for minimum of 4 months in his underground cave before release. Press: