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 monthSeven grape cultivars, or grape varieties, are used to make Champagne wines. Of these the three main varieties are the Pinot Noir (38% of plantings), Pinot Meunier (32%) and the Chardonay (30%). The four other approved cultivars are the Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc – together less than 0.3% of plantings.
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