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Sparkling Wine Production
Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine:
Champagne is sparkling wine produced in a delimited viticultural area northeast of Paris, France, and is made expressly from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Champagne's effervescence is achieved by inducing a second fermentation in the bottle itself. This process is called "Methode Champenoise" (MC) or the traditional method.
At J Vineyards & Winery, though we are not regulated by law, we have always produced our signature J Vintage Brut following this traditional method. From hand-harvesting our vineyards planted to the three classic grapes of Champagne - to extensively bottle-aging our wines, we combine French practices with a unique terroir that is distinctly American: the Russian River Valley, Sonoma. Our goal is to create a sparkling wine that is the highest expression of our unique region.
In France, the champagne process is strictly controlled -- from the techniques used in the vineyard to the wording of the labels on finished bottles. Any other sparkling wine produced in Europe (even if produced by the same method) may not be called Champagne.
The term "Champagne" is sometimes used by producers of domestic sparkling wines, but the bottle must indicate that the product was produced outside of the Champagne region of France (i.e., California Champagne). However, at J, we do not use the term "Champagne" out of respect for our fellow French winemakers, who have so generously shared their knowledge with us.
The Champagne Method
The traditional method used to produce Champagne, (Methode Champenoise), has evolved over many centuries. Initially, the secondary fermentation that produces the bubbles, occurred by accident due to the winemaking and storage practices of the day. Although there is evidence to show that sparkling wines were produced as early as the year 1531, it was not until the 17th century that winemakers began to intentionally produce sparkling Champagne (until then the region produced mediocre still wines).
The making of Champagne starts in the vineyards, where the varietals, the cultural practices and the maximum yields per hectare (2.5 acre) are closely regulated. The Inter-Professional Committee of Champagne Wines (CIVC), is the authority that declares the date when harvest begins. Once harvest is declared, the grapes are hand-picked and delivered to the press-houses. The Pinot Meunier is normally the first variety to be picked, followed by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Due to the cold climate of the region, the sugar levels are often low and the acid levels always high. However, since the grapes spend a long time on the vines they possess a distinctive (if delicate) character.
Processing the Grapes
The Coquard press is a specialized press used in the Champagne region. In 1988 J Vineyards & Winery purchased this unique press, to this day it is the only one of its kind in North America and one of only two outside of France.
 The Coquard is unique because it was designed for the pressing of whole-cluster grapes only, as is traditional in Champagne. Most modern presses rely on a rotating or tumbling cylinder in order to evenly distribute and press a mass of grape clusters. The Coquard is designed so that, once manually loaded, the grapes remain static while the pressing force is applied from opposite directions by two hydraulic rams.
The result of this unique pressing principle is that it yields juices with an extremely low percentage of solids and virtually no maceration (contact with the grape skins). These juices can be transformed to base wines with a minimal amount of processing, retaining the delicate fruit character.
For these reasons, we have also used the Coquard to press the juice for J Pinot Gris. Our Winemaker has found it is the perfect way to preserve the bright fruit of the of the Pinot Gris grape—while avoiding even the slightest hint of bitterness.
Traditionally, a press-load of grapes (4000 Kg, called a marc) will be pressed to yield the 2,666 liters of must allowed for the production of Champagne (about 160 gallons per ton). The juice is divided into fractions, according to a tradition based on the holding capacity of the Champagne barrel -- one barrel (piece champenoise) holds 205 liters (54 gallons). One marc will thus produce enough juice to fill thirteen barrels.
- The first 10 barrels hold the cuvée (free run)
- The next 2 barrels hold the premiere taille (first press fraction).
- The last barrel holds the deuxieme taille (the second press fraction).
Any juice extracted beyond this point is called rebeche and is not allowed for use in the production of Champagne. Some Champagne houses take the first juice to come out of the press and combine it with the press fraction in order to keep the dust (and other possible contaminants) away from the cuvée wine.
Fermentation
Once the grapes are pressed, the musts (unfermented grape juice) are cold-settled and racked off the heavy lees. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in cool temperatures and produces base wines of about 11% alcohol. The different lots are fermented and kept separate. During this stage of processing, winemakers begin to layer their wines, much like painters choose colors off their palettes in order to achieve a particular shade.
Blending
After all the year's wine has fermented, the process of assemblage or blending begins. Several weeks of tastings and experimentation with various blends culminate in the final decision as to the composition of this year's cuvée(s). Not only does the winemaker have to identify the best wine lots, he must also predict how well they will age after the second fermentation takes place. This process is made difficult by the fact that the wines at this stage are extremely tart and "green". Many people consider the base wines for Champagne as neutral. This is not true of quality sparkling wines; a good base wine will show distinctive character in both aroma and flavor but this character will not be as robust as with a young Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. Any person with experience will be able to readily tell a great base wine from a mediocre one.
Bottling
Once the cuvée is blended, it is cold-stabilized and filtered. The wine is now ready for tirage, the process of bottling the wine with the addition of sugar and yeast. The sugar addition (22 to 26 grams per liter) is calculated so that when fermented to dryness the bottles will contain a pressure of 5 to 6 atmospheres at 10 degrees C (90 psi at 50 degress F). A cup-shaped plastic insert (known as a bidule) and a metal crown cap are used to seal the bottles which will then be stacked in bins or along the walls of underground caves for what is known as the prise de mousse (the setting of the sparkle). Fermentation will occur in the following 4 to 6 weeks at the cool cellar temperature. Once fermentation is complete, the yeast and riddling aids will form a deposit inside the horizontally placed bottles.
In France, Non-Vintage (NV) Champagnes have to spend at least one year in the bottle before release while Vintage Dated Champagnes (millesime) cannot be released before they are three years old. At J, our sparkling is always a vintage-dated product. Our current release is the 2002 J Vintage Brut. Extended bottle-aging is a key element to achieving the J style, and the 2002 vintage was aged in our cellars for four years before release. During the period of aging on the lees, the wines become softer and increase in complexity due to the process of yeast autolysis (the degradation and break down of yeast cells). The complex chemical and biological reactions that take place during this time are yet to be fully understood. It is known, however, that they give rise to a plethora of aromas and flavors that can be categorized as "nutty", "toasty", or "yeasty."
Riddling
After the wine has aged on the lees, it is ready for the final stages of processing. Riddling, or remuage, is the operation designed to gather the sediment in the bottle and deposit it in the bidule near the mouth of the bottle. Traditionally, the operation was done manually by placing the bottles in specially designed racks (pupitres). These racks have holes cut in them at a 45 degree angle, thus allowing the riddler to spin the bottles as well as gradually change their position from horizontal to vertical. It takes about one month to riddle a batch of champagne this way. The results, however, are excellent since the riddler can follow the effect of every move and adjust accordingly.
 Modern technology has now made life a little easier for Champagne houses and at J. Instead of the manual process, most producers use automatic riddling machines that cut the average riddling time to about one week. These machines hold anywhere from one to four bins of 504 bottles and riddle them at the same time following the instructions from a computer program.
After the wine has been riddled, it sits in the neck-down position in bins, and is ready for the last steps of processing. The bottles are now placed (neck down) in a freezing solution for several minutes, so that the liquid in their necks freeze. Once an ice plug has formed in the necks of the bottles, they will be placed (upright) on the conveyor line, and will continue to the disgourging machine; this machine will remove the crown caps from the bottles. As a result, the pressure within the bottles will shoot out (disgorge) the ice plug (with the frozen sediment trapped in it), leaving a wine that is clear and brilliant. Not all the pressure in the bottle is lost during this operation because the carbon dioxide gas is held in a dissolved form in the very cold wine.
Dosage
Next is the "dosage" operation; an addition of a small amount of sugar solution (roughly two parts sugar to one part wine) to the disgorged bottles. This sugar addition is done in order to balance the high acidity of the dry wine and will determine the category under which the wine will be sold (non-dosée, brut, extra sec, sec, demi-sec and doux). At J our Vintage Brut is always made in the dry (Brut) style, with a dosage made from our reserve Chardonnay and cane sugar.
After the dosage addition is made, all that is left to do is to top the bottle to its final level (using disgorged bottles with no dosage), insert a champagne cork, fasten it with a wire hood, add the foil and labels and package the wine. Most Champagnes will spend some time in a warehouse (or time in the distribution chain) so that when it is bought by the consumer the dosage addition would be well blended into the wine (it is said the sugar and the wine have to "marry"). Most Champagnes are meant to be consumed within the year after release; however, some will actually improve with additional ageing (especially the Vintage dated prestige cuvées).
At this time, much research and development is going into two inventions that will allow production of Champagnes without the long and expensive riddling process. One invention fixes yeast in small capsules that are supposed to immediately sink to the mouth of the bottle once it is placed vertically, the other uses a membrane insert that is held by the crown cap of the bottle - thus preventing the yeast from diffusing into the bottle (while allowing them to ferment). As history shows, changes will continue to occur in the methods used to produce Champagnes but the basic process will remain intact. |
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