Higher temperatures and light intensity trigger the sap to flow anew in the vine. The first buds emerge, covered with a downy coating called bourre, then swell and eventually flower. Bud-burst has arrived!
The year’s fruit-bearing canes are tied up by hand to regulate the growth of the vine.
The Champagne month by monthThe French terms “Blanc de Blancs” (white from whites) and "Blanc de Noirs" (white from blacks) indicate the cultivars that make up the blend. A Blanc de Blancs is exclusively blended from the principal white grape, the Chardonnay. A Blanc de Noirs is exclusively blended from the two principal black grapes, the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Gérard Soutiran first put his name on a label in 1950. Three generations later, Valérie Soutiran and her husband Patrick Renaux now steer the fortunes of this House in the heart of the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, on the Montagne de Reims.
The Champagne Houses