The Vineyard

The Champagne
Terroir

Champagne is a protected region and wine style. In the past many producers from other regions and countries labelled their sparkling wines ‘Champagne’ (and some countries still do) to share the prestige of this French region.

The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC, now known as the Comité Champagne) has worked tirelessly to ensure that Champagne remains a traditional method sparkling wine from grapes grown within the appellation. Champagne and the styles it produces have served as the model for traditional method sparkling wines around the world.

95% of the Veuve Clicquot vines are classified as Grands or Premiers Crus while the latter only represents a quarter of the total surface of vines in the entirety of the Champagne region. Each plot’s grape variety is determined by assessing its soil, climate and exposure. The Veuve Clicquot vineyard is comprised of 47% Chardonnay grapes, 36% Pinot Noir and 17% Meunier.

The Clicquot vines are mostly situated on gentle sloping hills allowing the vines to benefit from shallow soil and a maximun exposure to sunlight. Since its foundation, the Maison of Veuve Clicquot has also established a strong partnership with its fellow winegrowers in Champagne. These providers of grapes and white wines help insure the consistent quality of the Veuve Clicquot wines.

Protecting the Vines

Integrated pest management (also known as lutte raisonnée) is a key part of sustainable agriculture.

It includes setting thresholds at which action needs to be taken (e.g. if pest populations reach a certain level and affect too much the quality of our grapes), identifying and monitoring pests, always setting up preferably preventative measures, and evaluating and implementing control options if needed only.

Long-lasting involvement in the preservation of our terroir

ECO-FRIENDLY OBJECTIVES

0% herbicides achieved in 2018
Maximum possible reduction in phytosanitary input
100% sustainable viticulture / Soil resilience philosophy

A PIONEER IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

2002 FIRST CARBON FOOTPRINT ASSESSMENT
2004 ISO 14001 certification
2014 Viticulture durable in Champagne certification
100% ORGANIC FOR SOIL NITROGEN
100% without herbicides
99% of plots with grass in inter-rows

The Vine Cycle

October: the vines take on their autumnal colors

This is the last chance for upkeep of the soil, and to prepare the old vines that will be removed (each year, several hectares of vines are pulled up in order to renew the vineyard). 3 to 5 years will be needed to restore the soil struture before replanting the vines.

November: the vine is dormant and the pruning starts

The leaves have all fallen. A mechanical trimming of the vines is followed by a manual pruning of each one. It's time to start cover cropping (radish, watercress, mustard, treffle, etc.) to nourish our soils.

December: winter is here

The vine pruning stops mid-month, and starts again in mid-January.

January: pruning begins anew

The old trellises are pulled out and new vine shoots (sprouts from the year) are mulched and turned back into the soils.

February: peak pruning time

Rigorous pruning limits and focuses the number of buds, and evens out the vine canopy for perfect shadowess management. The soil is nourished with organic fertilizer (sheep manure).

March: the start of binding

The buds start to grow. The remaining shoots are bound to trellis supports. New young vines are also planted at this time, to renew the vineyard.

April: budburst time

The buds open and the first leaves appear. Binding ends, and the mechanical maintenance of the soil begins again.

May: the disbudding

The young shoots that don’t bear grapes are trimmed away. Vines monitoring and cryptogamic desease prevention start all over again.

June: the vines bloom

The branches are lifted vertically and attached to supports, ensuring that they are exposed to the sun and benefit from the greatest possibility of photosynthesis. Flowering occurs in the middle of the month, as the grapes form.

July: protection and maintenance of the soil

The soil is maintained (between the vineyard rows and under them) and the vines are monitored from infections and insects.

August: ripening and protection of the grapes

The grapes start to change color and ripen. Aromas and sugar start to accumulate slowly to preserve the high acidity needed for the finesse of our wines. Phenols drops (bitterness) and under riped flavours disappear.

September: the harvest

The materials required for harvesting and pressing the grapes are prepared. The maturity of the grapes is carefully tested. Harvesting takes place between end August and the beginning of October. The exact harvest date is officially set each year per the recommendations of experts, based on the maturity of the grapes. Only hand harvesting is allowed in Champagne. It enables us to use whole bunch pressing and avoids extraction of undesirable compounds from the skin, preventing oxidation and obtaining perfectly balanced and delicate juice.