Chardonnay first, Pinots next
The blend reflects the tradition and terroir of the growers.
Our group of growers is based in the village of Vertus in the Côte des Blancs, where Chardonnay is king. The blend thus contains at least 90% white Chardonnay-grapes and up to 10% red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. However the exact proportions between Chardonnay and Pinots may vary slightly with the years.
Up to 10% of the Chardonnay wines will be older reserve wines, that are added to the blend to preserve the same style of taste year after year.
We like our champagnes mature, and we usually sell our Tradition when it is around five years old.
Our current Tradition is made with base wines from mainly 2011. It combines the freshness and elegance of the Chardonnay-grape with some body and structure brought by the Pinot grapes.
Due to age, more complex aromas have partly replaced the fresh fruits of a younger champagne.
You may find notes of yellow fruits like apricot, Mirabelle plum and peach as well as volatile scents of fine flowers on the nose.
A distinct taste of age that some describe as mushrooms and others as soil or forest takes over before a pleasant yet fresh finale will stay in your mouth for a while.
Dosage
A bit of sugar dissolved in some reserve wine is used as dosage to top up the bottle after an inevitable loss of a few centilitres of champagne at the disgorging, that follows after the many months of maturation in the caves.
With just 9,5 grams of sugar per litre of wine our dosage is rather low for a brut.
Tradition will fit your aperitif amongst friends perfectly as well as serve as an icebreaker at a bigger party. It will accompany your meals with white fish or seafood as well.
Demi-sec version
The Tradition exists in a Demi-Sec version too.
The dosage is currently 32 grams of sugar per litre.
This slightly sweetened champagne will fit your dishes with foie gras and desserts as long as they are not too sweet.
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