1001 Etoiles

It takes real expertise and time to create our traditional Mille et Une Etoiles 100% Chardonnay Extra Brut method.

Here’s how it works.

We carry out an initial fermentation and then, during bottling, we add a “liqueur de tirage”.
The sugars in this liqueur trigger a second fermentation. The sugar is transformed into alcohol, and the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced is captured in the bottle. It dissolves in the wine, creating bubbles. This second fermentation is called “prise de mousse”.
This second fermentation produces dead yeast called lees.
The wine is then left to rest on its lees horizontally for 9 months, known as “élevage sur lattes”.
This ageing process will determine the aromatic profile of the future wine.
To remove the deposit formed by the lees in the bottle, the bottle is tilted slightly and rotated a quarter turn at regular intervals for ten days. This is called riddling. This brings all the lees into the neck of the bottle.

The neck is then frozen to trap the lees in an ice cube. The bottle is then quickly opened, and the “ice cube” ejected from the bottle under pressure. This is the disgorging process, which finally eliminates the lees.

Before sealing with the final cork, a liqueur de dosage (wine and sugar) is added. Depending on the sugar dosage chosen, the sparkling wine will be more or less sweet.
We have chosen to make an extra-brut, i.e. up to 6g of sugar per liter, to preserve all the minerality brought by our oceanic climate.

It’s this whole technical process that has enabled us to bring you our 1001 Étoiles cuvée !