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17, rue de Villers aux Noeuds 51500 ECUEIL Tel: +33 3 26 49 77 48 Fax: +33 3 26 49 26 50 allouchery-bailly@neuf.fr
Our wine farm is down the Reims hill, in Ecueil, a charming village in the Marne, 10 kilometres to the South of Reims, the Citι des Sacres. Our vineyard which is registered as Premier Cru is made of the three varieties of Champagne Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay each of them bringing a particular structure to the Champagne. The Reims hill's soil mostly contributes to the quality of our vintages together with our traditional and inherited know-how. The Champagne Allouchery was first created in 1953 by Emile Allouchery and his two sons, Georges and Jacques, and named Champagne E. Allouchery & Fils. In 1979, as the third generation, my wife Marie-Line, whose parents were also wine producers and I, Alain, created our brand Champagne Allouchery-Bailly. Our daughter Camille is getting ready to take over and to develop the image of our brand by settling in the farm. Marie-Line, Alain and Camille.
BRUT TRADITION : The blending of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and reserve wine is corpulent and fruity and recommended for aperitifs. Available in bottles (75cl) and half-bottles (37,5cl) BRUT RESERVE : This vintage, blended as the Brut Tradition, matured longer in our cellar and will be drunk as an aperitif or during your meals. Available in bottles (75cl) and Magnums (1,5l) BRUT ROSE : Made of Brut Tradition and of Champagne red wine, it is perfect when you want to drink Champagne from the starter to the dessert or with a red fruit dessert. Available in bottles (75cl) and half-bottles (37,5cl) VINTAGE BRUT : it's the result of the best harvest years, this Prestige Vintage combines nobility and elegance. It blends the freshness of the Chardonnay and the strength of the Pinot Noir. You will serve it during the most sophisticated dinners. Tasting advice : Let the wine rest for a while after you got it. Lay your bottles down in a cool and dark place. Champagne must be fresh to drink (7/8°C).
September: The Harvest Grapes are ripe and are hand-picked to be driven to the press. The juices, or the musts are stored in stainless steel vats and go on being elaborated. The harvest lasts about 10 days. October November December: Pre- pruning After the leaves' fall the woods are cut above the trellising wire and are prepared for pruning. Meanwhile, in winery, the different fermentations took place, and particularly the alcoholic fermentation at this moment the sugar becomes alcohol. In December, the commerce and shipping become more important, especially for the Christmas and New Year's orders.
From January to March : Pruning The canes are pruned and buds are chosen, they will produce the next harvest. Then comes the binding which consists in binding the pruned canes with a wire to guide the vegetation. The wine is filtered to become base wine and ready to be bottled in this is the bottling which takes place in March. Champagne is a blended wine which allows a constant quality each year. Therefore, we have chosen the wines to be blended before bottling them in. Except our Vintage Brut that is made from the harvest of a specific year. For our Brut Rosι, a red wine will be blended with our base wine. On January 22nd, we celebrate Saint Vincent, the wine producers' saint.
April:Disbudding The buds that do not give fruit are removed so that the vine could use all the sap energy it needs. The biological struggle To get rid of the grapes' worms that can affect the harvest, we settle caps with synthetic pheromones which prevent male and female from meeting and help not use insecticide. In our cellars, the laid bottles undergo the second fermentation which will create the effervescence of Champagne. May: Tying The wires of the vine will be tied so that the plant does not break under its own weight or in gusts of wind. In the cellar, it is time to disgorge: it consists in get rid of the sediment that appeared during the second fermentation and that was in the bottle neck thanks to the riddling. During the disgorging, we will be able to balance the Champagne with a liqueur (sugar and wine) and determine its quality (Brut or Demi-sec). The bottle is corked and muzzled. This can be done several times in the year depending on the needs. After resting in cellars, we eventually label the bottles that will be ready to be tasted.
June-July-August:Trellising This consists in airing and separating the vegetation for the grapes to take advantage of the sunlight. Trimming During all the season, we have to cut the excess of vegetation above and on each side of the vine. This job is done with a tractor. Treatments It is important for us to use treatments to prevent different diseases that can affect our vines , reduce the harvest and deteriorate the quality of the wine. However, we use a reasonable amount of treatments, we use the right product, at the right time and not more than necessary thanks to technicians who make sure the disease does not spread.