After a quick breakfast, our driver packed us into the car and we are off to the Champagne region, which is located about an hour and a half to the north east of France.
Our first stop is Tattinger. A fairly well known producer in the region, as well as in the United States.
After a short introduction to the vineyard and brand, we descend into the caves.
The fascinating thing about the caves in champagne is that they were originally created by the Romans when they excavated for chalk and limestone. This essentially was their quarry.
They began from the surface by digging a square hole into the ground, then they would widen into a pyramid shape - to help with stability.
It wasn't until later (facts to be verified at a later date) that the monks connected each of these quarries, to create a network of underground passages that they could use to avoid the "common folk" on the surface.
Chris among the dusty bottles
Bottles are turned quarterly to allow the sediment to collect in the neck
Yes, these are hand racked!
Tattinger makes a blanc de blanc - which is 100% Chardonnay, and their other varieties are a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Their vintage champagne takes approximately 10 years to go from harvest to release. Their non-vintage (blends of several years) are generally 4 years from harvest to release.
We tasted their non-vintage Brut. Dry champagne is not my favorite, (the brut carries no residual sugar) however, this one was quite pleasant and well worth the money.
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