• Reasoned wine-growing

We are concerned about respecting nature, environment and men. So we apply to the vineyard a reasoned wine-growing programme.

• Location and area

Our vineyard divides into 4 villages of the Marne Valley : Festigny, Mareuil le Port, Nesle Le Respons, Le Breuil and 3 villages of La Côte des Blancs : Cramant, Avize and Oger that are a part of the vineyard planted by my father-in-law Roger Pagel. The whole area of our winery is about 9 ha.

• The grape varieties that make up the vineyard

  

Our winery is composed of :

- Pinot Meunier 69 % This grape variety gives Champagne suppleness and fruity taste but also freshness and lightness.

- Chardonnay 17 % It’s the only white grape variety in the Champagne region. It’s the grape variety of elegance and delicacy.

- Pinot Noir 14 % It gives wines sophistication, alcoholic strength and body.

• Density of plantation

All vines are planted 1 m to 1.05 m between every raw by 1.20 m between every plant, that is 7.500 to 8.300 plants per ha.

• Nature of the soil

Our different grape varieties allow us to have different types of soil : chalky soil in Cramant, Avize and Oger, calcareous soil and side sediments in Festigny and Mareuil and argilo-calcareous marls in Le Breuil.

• Average age of the vines

Pinot Meunier : 29 years ; Chardonnay : 26 years ; Pinot Noir : 24 years.

• Type of pruning

93 % vines are pruned “en taille Chablis" as it is called and 7 % “en taille Cordon de Royat”, as it is called
The “taille Chablis”, as it is called is a short pruning that gives a good harmony between strenght and fertility.
The “taille Cordon de Royat” as it is called is a short pruning on a long structure.

• Staff

A team of 5 people work full time for vine and cellar works, strengthened by about twenty temporary employees for the season of grape harvest. In fact, the grapes are entirely picked by hand in order to preserve the qualitative side of the wine.

• Expeditions

Our annual production is about 70.000 to 75.000 bottles that have been dispatched to 90 % in France and to 10 % on the export market (Germany, England, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Australia) by Champagne Connection under our own label : Champagne Joseph Loriot Pagel

At the moment, we propose a range of four Champagne wines.

All our Champagnes have been entirely self-produced in our own cellars with know-how passed on since six generations. The grapes are picked by hand by a tradional team and then pressed in our new modern presshouse equipped with a new generation 4.000 kg winepress from Coquard Company. The chemical process of fermentation is made in stainless steel tanks. The malolactic fermentation is made systematically and a part of reserve wines is preserved in wooden barrels.

The moving process is made on consoles but also on rotating pallets. Concerning the disgorgement process, it’s made by the method “à la volée”, as it is said,