Assemblage Traditionnel

The Assemblage traditionnel, as the name itself indicates, is the most practiced elaboration technique in Champagne.

Cuvées in traditional assemblage are elaborated with the three grape varieties of Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier or with two varietals, one of which must be Chardonnay.

The percentages of the three grapes in the Cuvée can vary according to the choices of the Vigneron and can be changed every year, at every millésime, in order to preserve excellence. 

The most typical traditional assemblage is the one made with the same percentage of the three grapes, from different years or from the same year (Millésime). When the harvest is excellent, the winemaker can enhance it by making a Cuvée which will exalt all the three grape varieties. 

Non traditional assemblage :

Non-traditional assemblages are Blanc de Blancs, Champagnes exclusively elaborated with single varietal Chardonnay, and Blanc de Noirs, Cuvées elaborated with only black varietals, Pinot Noir or Meunier or both.

A bit of history :

It is thanks to Romans that vine appeared in Champagne. Great wine lovers, Romans were experts in the cultivation of vineyards. In Champagne, they knew how to identify the most favorable slopes, choose well-drained soils and sun-exposed land, and select the vines most resistant to the rigors of the climate.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, monasteries replanted vines and, from that moment on, monks devoted themselves to the practical study of this beverage whose effervescent qualities earned it the nickname of "devil's wine".

In 1670 is Dom Perignon, a monk of Hautvillers Abbey, the first one to practice the assemblage, nowadays called "traditional", by assembling a combination of different grapes before pressing. In order to do this, the monk used grapes harvested from the surrounding vineyards. As a matter of fact, at those times, vintners were obliged to give part of their harvest to the monastery, in payment of the tithe (an old tax on harvests collected by the Church and abolished in 1789, with the French Revolution), which made Dom Pérignon's task much easier.

Dom Perignon worked a lot on the many grapes in order to improve the quality and balance of wines, by reducing their defaults. His goal was to create the most excellent taste possible.

The search for excellence :

Blending grapes from different varietals allows Champagne wines to be marked by contrasts and complementarities.

Pinot Noir brings aromas of berries, body and power while Meunier brings roundness and fruity aromas. Chardonnay is the grape of finesse and elegance with floral and mineral notes and its slow evolution makes it an ideal element for the aging of wines.

The aromatic qualities of wines also vary according to the terroirs from which they come from, "bring the terroir": Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Côte des Bar.

Dulcis in fundo: the taste of the Vigneron. His experience and palate guide his creativity in the continuous search for excellence.

The three grape varieties used to elaborate the Cuvée, like soloists in an orchestra, all have a role in the final result, but the Vigneron is the chef d'orchestre!