Bud 30th of march 2012

Ratafia : our new cuvée...s

Ratafia is and alcohol made from grape juice. Fermentation is blocked by the addition of alcohol which keep all the sugar of the fruit (they don't have to be transformed in alcohol). Making Ratafia is a project that we are working on for 3 years. As all the Champagne Henriet Bazin cuvées, we wanted to develop it with passion and respect of the aromas of our terroir.

It was during the harvest 2009 that we selcted the juice from our most beautiful plots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We selected the juice of the "cuvée", it means, the juice of highest quality while we press.

To be sure to obtain a wide aromatic range, each grape variety has been shared in some oajk barels and canisters in glass.

After several months of ageing, we just put this nice drink bottled by taking the traditional approach of the "pigeage" to avoir any filtration.

We will propose you soon 3 differents cuvées of Ratafia :

Enjoy the nice color.

100% Pinot Noir raised in ooak barel

100% Chardonnay raised in canister of glass

50% Chadonnay raised in oak barel and 50% Pinot Noir raised in canister of glass

Bud 29th of march 2012

Blooming of a bud.

Day by day, you will follow the blooming of a bud of Chardonnay.

25th of March : The sap is going up.

We are the 25th of Marchn the spring has only 5 days old but the warm températures have driven up the sap from the bottom of the roots.

Sap is leaking from the top of the branch : We say that the vine is crying :

And the buds begin to open : It's called "debourrement"

Bud is opening its cotton protection.

Last pruning cuts.

This morning, we have pruned our last plot. It was the youngest one that surrounds the House. We wanted to wait for the last moment to nok risk being caught by frost, but the summer temperatures (20°C afternoon) told us to hurry. Sap began to climb in the branches.

Still very small branches of these young vine have been cut to determine the final pruning shape for each grape variety.

This vine is near by the house and the tasting room, wa have planted two roads of Pinot Meunier that we will prune in Guyot, two roads of Pinot Noir which will take the shape a Cordon de Royat and the rest is planted with Chardonnay (specific white grappe of Villers Marmery, on the slopes of Montagne de Reims mostly in Pinot Noir) which we will prune in Chablis.

Small wood and branches were tighten in bundles to lihjt our barbecues.

Planting of the plot "Les Croix"

After 41 years and good and loyal services, the Chardonnay of  "les Croix" located at Villers-Marmery was erased last automn. The soil has relied throughoput the winter and has suffered the freezing and thawing which aerate.

As a first step, should be drawn alignments and parallels to prepare implementation of the vine. Roads will be spaced each meter. Then, a cord is tense, it is leaded each meter and twenty centimeters to show the location of the ceps. Now, it's time to make hole that will receive the new plant.


After being grafted,  and to avoid the cannot become infected at the level of the wound of grafting, the plants are dipped in wax (red this year). This shell will protect the new vine, but its low resistance will not prevent it to grow.

The young vines are then gently planted by hand, and we fill the hole and compacting so the roots will be in contact with the soil. Should repeat as many times as there are hole. On this plot of 0.0492 hectares, they are more than 440 plants.

The planting is now complete. Soon we will need ri protect the plant with nets to prevent rabbit from eating the buds and waint to years to see the first grappes that we will be abble to harvest after 3 years.

Australian Importer

We are rassured on the visibility of the indicator signs, the Australien importeyr has found ots way without difficulty.

Since he had nit come to visit us for a few yeards, Marie-Noëlle was pleased to offer hil a discovery, on nex discovery of all the cuvées of the range of Champagne Henriet bazin.

New signs

We found that our visitors struggling sometimes to find Champagne Henriet Bazin because our new reception and tasting room is located in the heart of the vineyards, in a litlle street, unknown in the majority of navigatio systems.

They often foud us after using a great determination and with a dose of luck.

Today, we finally hupdate a dign in the village to lead you to the correcte address.

So, see you soon.

US Importers, Peter and Maria.

We just had the pleasure to spend a very good time with Peter and Maria, wine importers in New-York County.

They tasted all the cuvées of Champagne Henriet Bazin with Marie-Noëlle and were very surprised by the specefic power and flavor of our elegant Pinot Noir from Verzenay and Verzy. They were also impressed by the terroir taste and the chalky aromas of our Chardonnay from Villers-Marmery.

To be continue...

Pruning...is over.

We are giving our last moves of pruning shears in the vines. After more thang Three months of work, the pruning is going to end.

With 25 shots of pruning per foot and 9 000 vines per hectare, it is needed time to cut our 37 plots, sometimes in Chablis, sometimes n Cordon de Royat, which are the only two modes allowed in rthe Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards.

Chablis is prefrered for Chardonnay

Chablis : 2 or 3 branches with 5 buids each cover the space of the vine.

Cordon de Royat is better for Pinot Noir.

Cordon de Royat : A main branch with "coursons" of 2 buds.

Why pruning ?

Plant family of the vine is akin to the liane. Therefore, of course, the vine want to produce wood. Think about that the added length of the branches of 1 vine would exceed 50 meters if do not prune.

So we are pruning for :

-Control of elongation of the branches that would then become too fragile and break under the wind blows and the weight ofthe grappes.
-Limit the number of buds to balance the number of grappes for a perfect maturation.
-Divide the branch in the vine space to avoid having too much branches and leaves which, in summer, promote the developpement of diseases due to moisture.
-Obtain grappes beacause of the right selection of the woods.

Juste remember that to give a fruit, the buds of this year must grows og a bud of last year, and moreover, only the first 5 buds of the branch are fruiting. The selection of the bearing branches are paramount.

The last moves of pruning shears

Visit of our importer of Italie (region of Brescia)

Sylvia and Stefano

Visit of the cellar.

We just had the pleasur to welcome Sylvia and Stefano, our Italian importers for the region of Brescia. They were in France for few days ans stoped at home to taste some cuvées of Champagne. It was the first time in Champagne for Sylvia, so we introduce her to the vines, the cellars and the vinification methods of Champagne Henriet Bazin.

We had a very good time, with real lovers of champagne, gastronomy and terroir.

Franco-Italian twinning !

The caterpillar from the BOARMIE butterfly

We met her yesterday while pruning. It's the catterpilar of the butterfly called BOARMIE. It certainly spend winter hide under the bark and now wake up with the warmest températures..

Frozen to be invisible.

This caterpillar is very good in camouflage. It's colour make it hard to see, and it's freezing when it feel any mouvement, like a twig.

Like a twig.

Those hibernating carterpillars are gnowing the buds when they are opening, killing the futur branch, with leaves and fruits.