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 month
In 1889 a giant barrel was raised from its resting place in the Maison Mercier cellars and transported to the Paris World Fair. The Foudre Mercier held the equivalent of 200,000 bottles (or 800 standard-size barrels) and weighed a hefty 20,000 kilos. Twelve pairs of oxen, helped by a team of 18 horses, were required to haul the barrel from Epernay to Paris where it arrived eight days later. Mercier’s masterpiece of barrel-making won second prize, second only to the Eiffel Tower, and now stands in splendour in the reception area of the Mercier cellars.
In 1812 André-Michel Pierlot moved to Tours-sur-Marne to start his own business. In the late 19th century, with no heir to succeed him, he transferred ownership to his cellar master Eugène Laurent, who died shortly afterwards. It was his widow Mathilde-Emilie Perrier who thought of linking their two family names to create the brand name Laurent Perrier. In 1939, Marie-Louise de Nonancourt, née Lanson, purchased the House for her son, Bernard – a larger-than-life personality who made Laurent-Perrier the success it is today.
The Champagne Houses
