Champagne holds its breath until the Saints de Glace (Ice Saints) are safely past (11, 12, 13 May), dreading a spring freeze that might destroy the future harvest’s fruitful buds.
Desuckering removes the non-fruitful buds (suckers or gourmands). Any unwanted growth is removed to optimise sugar concentration and encourage good sap flow.
The Champagne month by monthLouis Roederer Cristal Champagne was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Fearing assassination, the Tsar ordered that the bottle be made of clear glass (so he could detect any poison or “foreign bodies” lurking within), with a flat bottom to expose any bombs hidden in the punt.
Cooper’s son Edouard Brun founded this House in 1898. Some 30 years later he was joined by an experienced winemaker called Edmond Lefevre, who took over the helm when Edouard died, before passing the baton to his daughter, Claude Delescot and her husband. Their two sons Emmanuel and Philippe are now writing a new chapter in the life of the House.
The Champagne Houses