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
Louis 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.
Louis Roederer inherited this House in 1833 and named it after himself. In the 1920s Léon Olry-Roederer gave it new impetus, followed by his widow Camille from 1932 to 1975. Their grandson, Jean-Claude Rouzaud and his son Frédéric now pursue the work of their forebears, with the same innovative spirit.
The Champagne Houses
