After record high spring temperatures, harvesting has started exceptionally early in Champagne.

The first clips of the secateurs started at Maison AR Lenoble on Monday 22 August under blue skies and in summery temperatures.

The harvest looks set to be a good one in quantity and quality.

On the Chouilly Grand Cru terroir, the bunches of Chardonnay are dense and in excellent condition.

On the Bisseuil terroir, the Pinots Noirs are generous and ripe and without the slightest trace of rot.

They promise us a very fine red wine to make our Vintage Rosé and a superb Premier Cru Blanc de Noirs!

The first must analyses announce ideal sugar levels (between 9.80 and 10.50). After several weeks of cool, rainy weather, the last few days prior to the harvests brought the heat and sunshine the vines needed to ripen the grapes off to perfection.

The weather forecast for the next few days should allow picking in ideal conditions

All the grapes are delivered to the press in Damery where they go through quality sorting and the finest grapes from the exceptional plots are set aside to be pressed separately. They will go into the select composition of the Gentilhomme and Aventures Cuvées if their quality is confirmed when the clear wines are tasted in January.

Once the selection has been made, the grapes are divided between the three traditional wood presses to be pressed quickly to avoid colouring the juice. These presses have become a rarity in Champagne and provide effective but gentle pressing that avoids tearing the bunches apart and getting traces of bitterness into the juice..

Once it has been pressed, the must is stored in the House tanks.

.Another great vintage may well be on the way...!