From the Vine to Crémant

Crémant de Bourgogne A long story.

Discover the production method for Crémant

LORON Louis et Fils produces and makes its Crémants de Bourgogne and wines according to traditional methods for more than 80 years. It is this expertise that enables them to transform your grapes into quality Crémant de Bourgogne.

Manual harvesting with wooden crates

(slatted crate)

During the harvest, they capture the fruit's freshness, releasing all of the aromas and concentrating all of its qualities.

1

Pressing the grapes

Juice extraction in the press requires a particular experience in order to harvest only the best aromas.

2

Clarification

The grape juice (must) has impurities in suspension (debris from stalks and skins...) which can add unpleasant flavors and make aromas heavy. The impurities spontaneously settle to the bottom of the tank after 18 to 24 hours, this clarification stage helps refine the aromatic expression and ensures clear juice.

3

Winemaking and Assembly

A portion of the sugar contained in the juice is transformed into alcohol during fermentation. A man's rigour in monitoring the fragile fermentation process is decisive in the size and quality of bubbles. Crémant is the result of an assembly; expertise in adding the right amount of each variety in the finished product is essential.

While Chardonnay provides finesse, roundness and aromas of white flowers and toasted bread, Gamay adds its juice and vivacity to the Crémant. Like a conductor, the producer works to harmonize the notes and flavors.

4

Producing bubbles and aging

After bottling, the addition of the liqueur d'expédition determines the pressure in the bottle. For a minimum of 12 months, the Crémant rests on laths, silently, patiently waiting for bubbles to form.

Gradually, yeasts transform to release gustatory elements that support the aromas: They melt and combine with the wine.

5

Riddling

The bottles are then placed "neck downwards" in a cool cellar. Dead yeast settles at the extremity of the bottle neck as bottles are rotated on racks for five to six weeks.

6

Cooling

The bottle necks are immersed in a freezing liquid at -25 °C to form a 3 cm plug of ice at the inside of the bottle neck, trapping the lees.

7

Disgorgement

Bottles are then sent through a disgorging machine that removes the cap; the pressure inside the bottle expels the ice plug and guarantees the quality of the Crémant de Bourgogne.

8

Addition of liqueur d’expédition

Then the liqueur d’expédition (wine + sugar) is added, which depending on the amount, determines if the Crémant de Bourgogne will be brut, sec or demi-sec.

9

Corking and Haltering

Bottles are then sent to the corking machine that inserts the cork then the haltering machine that places the halter to give the final shape to the cork that is so characteristic of Crémant.

10

Crowning and labeling

After this long period, Crémant de Bourgogne is dressed for show. The bottles are successively securely crowned with a label, they are labeled in the front and back of the bottle, a collar (around the neck) and sometimes, a distinctive medal.

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Traceability and labeling

Bottles are then marked with a lot number for better traceability. Packing in crates, they are ready to travel...and finally be tasted.

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Tasting

You can enjoy Crémant de Bourgogne for an aperitif as well as throughout a meal, white Crémant de Bourgogne goes well with fish and shellfish, red with poultry and grilled meats and rosé is perfectly suited for your desserts. To bring out the taste and rich aromas in Crémant de Bourgogne, LORON Louis et Fils we recommend serving it at a temperature between 6 and 8 °C in order to discover all of the aromas.

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