WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
“Aux Origines” could be tanslated as “where it all began.” This blanc de blancs is made from the very first vineyards planted by Nathalie’s granparents, Marie-Louise and Paul, in Barbonne-Fayel, Côteaux Sézannais, in the 1960s. This cuvée is 100% Chardonnay, fermented in steel tanks with full malolactic conversion, bottled in April following harvest and aged 36 months prior to disgorgement.
All J. Vignier bottlings come from grapes hand picked at optimum maturity, whole-cluster pressed, with separation of first and second press juices, using only the first press. There is cold settling for clarification and slow fermentation at low temperatures with various selected yeasts. All base wines are fermented in stainless steel tank and go through malo, with several months of tank aging. Bottling for the second fermentation occurs in spring. An extraordinary minimum of 48 months (up to 8 or 12 years for some cuvées) bottle aging before disgorgement is a house requirement. Dosage is “Extra Brut” (5 g/L) for all wines. Vintage wines are made only in stellar years.
