A visit to several lizards in the Congy-Sézanne sector led to the exchange between winemakers and a delegation made up of elected officials and officials.A constructive dialogue on the quality of the harvest and the time of harvest altered by the climate.
At the initiative of Vincent Léglantier, president of the Association for the improvement of the Sézannais slopes (AVCS), it was at the presses that various personalities were invited to observe the quality of the harvests in this sector of the appellation. Patrick Naudin, deputy prefect of Epernay and Vincent Perrin, director of the Champagne Committee, were part of the delegation that went to Saudoy and then to Barbonne-Fayel where opinions were quite divided on the date of the start of the harvest. , the unexpected three-day heat wave, the degrees, the acidity. “I have rarely seen 11.5 proof Chardonnay. Some have even exceeded 12 ”, observes Vincent Léglantier according to which the three days of strong heat, with a mercury of 35 degrees, disrupted the time of harvest and the quality of the harvest. “We took too long to get started,” he lamented as he was glad that the Congy-Sézanne sector escaped the hail that hit other regions of the denomination hard. “We have no right to complain,” stressed the president of the local SGV section of Saudoy, who was joined by other winemakers in the sector. “Chardonnays lack acidity. It will be difficult to make a harvest ”, adds Gilles Léglantier, his cousin. With Vignier champagne, which is equipped with a 6000 kg press, same story about the grades and maturity of the grapes. “But I still prefer to bring 12-degree pomace to finish with frozen or chopped plots. »The must tasting when it came out of the press was significant. The entire delegation was surprised by the sweetness of the drink. “Grapes could even make great cakes,” says an elected canton representative with a smile. At Barbonne-Fayel, Christophe Richomme clarifies: “Chardonnays are satisfactory and Pinots Noir are at the top,” explains the winemaker who provides services to the main commercial houses. Regarding harvest dates, Christophe Richomme is also cautious: “It’s always random, we couldn’t cut the miller earlier. “
Satisfactory yields
On the part of officials, observations are sometimes clearer. “I was surprised that we ran out of pickers at the beginning of the harvest. Also, efforts may still need to be made to classify the crop. It is not yet in the culture of the Champenois while what is at stake is the excellence of champagne, underlines the representative of the State who knows the world of wine well for having been stationed in the region of Sancerre and Pouilly, denominations where to classify it by picking it is rigorous ”, according to him. Vincent Perrin, Managing Director of the Champagne Committee, has toured much of the denomination and has a global vision. “There are ups and downs. The climatic degradations of the end of August changed the situation. But this harvest shows good grades with satisfactory yields and a good balance between acidity and sugar.” Vincent Perrin was also congratulated on this tour at the Sézannais presses. “Vincent Léglantier’s strategy is a good example. The property must be developed to improve the terroir. Especially since this sector is close to Ile-de-France and attracts tourists.” Vincent Léglantier confirms: “We are going to organize a big event in mid-November at the Le Brun de Neuville cooperative, in Bethon. The association will present the three names, the three logos and the three slogans imagined for our sector. All residents will be able to express their preferences The names with the highest number of votes will be announced at the end of January 2018, during a grand gala evening at the Sezanne Praetorium.