CHAMPAGNE AGRAPART

CHAMPAGNE AGRAPART The champagne House Agrapart is a family house founded in Avize by the end of the 19th century. The House decided to elaborate its champagnes from a single grape variety: Chardonnay.This choice was dictated by its unique domain that extends over 10ha in the heart of the Côte des blancs.The 40 years old vineyard is mainly classified as Grand Cru. Each cuvée is sourced from fragmented vinification and is aged in oak barrels.

Champagne AGRAPART

History

The House was founded by Arthur Agrapart by the end of the 19th century, and it was extended by its grandson, Pierre, in the mid 50’s. Today, the vineyard extends over 10 ha in the heart of the Côte des blancs. 

Structure

Since its creation, Agrapart & Fils is a collecting-manipulating champagne.It means that the person who collects the grapes perfectly controls the grape’s maturation and thus, the wine development. This ensures a constant quality for customers.

Terroir, soil and climate

The Domain of Agrapart is located in Avize, and the vineyard is mainly situated in Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry Grands Crus from the Côte des blancs.This geographic location, in the heart of Champagne and Grand Cru classified villages, is absolutely unique.The chalky soil, specific to the Côte des Blancs, allows to work with the Chardonnay grapes variety, which brings freshness, elegance and fineness to the wine. The domain contains 50 plots, some of them are over 65 years old, and the average of the vineyard is 40 years old.

One vintage per year for 3 identified terroirs

The champagne House pays a lot of attention to its champagne in fighting for the terroir’s truth.Plow and « home made » compost promote rooting and soil microbial life.Every Cuvée is elaborated from fragmented vinification.Fermentation with indigenous yeasts grapes.Long aging on lees in oak barrels.

Vineyard farming

Planting: 8000 

• Grape variety: Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot meunier, Pinot blanc, Arbane and Petit meslier.
• Vineyard : Since the early years, the vineyard is plowed in order to maintain a constant microbial life and to allow the roots to deeply draw the mineral material which confer the wine the terroir’s authenticity.
• Manure: always organic and adapted according to the soil analysis (compost or midden).
• Trellising: Manuel and ventilated, promoting the action of the wind and the sun, which are the necessary natural elements of the vine’s  immune defense,  to prevent from diseases and to limit chemical treatment.
• Harvest: Manual and selective, when the grapes are at the perfect maturation stage, never done below a temperature of 10°c  avoiding the acid character, but rarely over 11°c in order to maintain the freshness and digestibility.  Highlight of the year!
• Vinification: The grape’s conveyance is fast, in order to squeeze in the shortest delay following the harvest. Grapes are transported in crates holes and washed systematically after each use.
• Pressing: Traditional presses Coquart 4000 kgs. Pressing is slow and selective in order to clearly separate each quality grape juice.
• Yeasting: indigenous yeasts from the grapes.
• Vinification : Every vintage wine is elaborated using oak barrels. The House doesn’t search for a woody taste, but for the oxidation (oxygen is not the wine’s enemy).Thermoregulated stainless tanks at 22°c for the house’s more supple wines without year. They remain on their lees from the harvest to bottling. Tartaric stabilization occurs naturally in the winter.
• F.M.L: (means malolactic fermentation). It is used to bring stability, balance and wine’s evolution. This natural process avoids the use of SO2 and the traumatic sterile filtration for wine.
• Tirage: The bottling occurs by mid-May, without filtration. Then, the bottles are left in the chalky cellars of the house where there’s a constant temperature (10 °C), which ensures a slow fermentation, guaranteeing quality and fine bubbles.
• Dosage: The House’s cuvées without year are not sold before the age of 3 years following the harvest, and a minimum of 7 years is required for the vintage cuvées. Bottles are manually stirred, disgorged and dosed before their release on the market. Liquor is elaborated using the wine of the year and sugar cane.

To make it short… Champagnes elaborated in sincerity, with the house’s personality.From a season to another, the wine matures in the house’s cellars.Time, respect, and rigor that the wines reflect the terroir’s specificities.