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 monthLouis 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.
This House was established in 1825 by Joseph Perrier, and is the only Champagne House still headquartered in Chalons-en-Champagne. In 1888 it was acquired by Paul Pithois whose great grandson Jean-Claude Fourmon chaired the company for 40 years. His son Benjamin is now the sixth-generation Fourmon to take the helm.
The Champagne Houses