Bailly Lapierre Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blanc NV

Bailly, the village in Burgundy, is the birthplace of the AOC Crémant de Bourgogne. Since 1972, in an underground quarry providing unique natural conditions. The village had been producing sparkling wines that belong to a world of enchantment. They come from superb noble grapes, hand-harvested then vinified and patiently matured. The wines, through vines literally sprung from the bedrock yet finely chiselled.

Note: The term “Crémant” in French refers to full sparkling wines with interior air pressure on par with standard Champagne, greater than 4.9 times of atmosphere pressure. Commonly found in Burgundy, Alsace, and Loire.

“Blanc de Blanc” means the sparkling is white, and made from white skinned grape variety, in this case being Chardonnay.

This wine 100% came from hand-picked grapes.  Whole bunch grapes were transported after harvest in open-sided bins of 45kgs to eliminate any damage to the berries. Then they are airbag pressed to release the juice. The must obtained on the basis of 100 liters of juice from 150kgs of harvest: 75% first pressing, 25% second or later pressings.

Both yeast and malolactic fermentations carried out, blending of separately-made wines, then preparations for bottling that is carried out after beginning of December, then they go through extended maturing, 16 months on average on full lees. The bottles inverted on racks in the unvarying natural cool and half-light of the underground cellars hewn out of the limestone bedrock. It is during this period that the wine’s natural sparkle develops.

The wine went through two-stage certification by the INAO (Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité): First the base wines, then the finished wines off the racks.