"Paradise" is a taste of paradise that is sent from heaven in exchange for the angel's share, which is a characteristic of barrel aging. It is Gratian's flagship. <History>
Alfred Gratien founded the house in Epernay in 1864 at the age of 23. In the same year, the great entrepreneur also established a sparkling wine cellar in Saumur, in the Loire. Ten years later, Alfred Gratien found a new business partner, Albert Jean Meyer, and changed the name of the company to "Gratien et Meyer". Albert Jean Meyer's descendants continued the winemaking philosophy of their founder, Alfred Gratien, and developed the two cellars. The Jeger family has been the cellar master of Alfred Gratien since 1905. Gaston Jeger took over in 1905, and his son Charles took over in 1950. In 1966, his son Jean-Pierre became the third generation, and continued the role until his retirement in 2007. Nicolas, the fourth generation, began winemaking under his father Jean-Pierre in 1990 and became cellar master in 2007. In 2018, Nicolas achieved the feat of being selected as the best champagne maker by the Guide Hachette magazine. Alfred Gratien's techniques and traditions have been strictly and precisely passed down by the Jéjé family for over 100 years, from 1905 to the present day. <Cultivation>
Owned fields: 2haBouzy, Ambonnay, Le Mesnil sur Oger, Monthelon, Mardeuil, Grauves, Damery
In addition to the above, we have long-term contract cultivation agreements with approximately 65 grape growers (approximately 55 hectares).
Terroir has a great influence on the quality of grapes. Grand Cru vineyards, which produce the highest quality grapes, and the next highest grade, Premier Cru vineyards, are so rare that all Champagne houses fight over them, and they only make up 25% of the total area of the Champagne region. Alfred Gratien obtains 62% of the grapes he purchases from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. Equally important in making Champagne is to secure the highest quality grapes by strengthening relationships with excellent grape growers. He tastes the finished wine with the growers to check the quality, and once every two years he invites all the growers' wives to a training session and exchange of opinions, and is dedicated to improving the quality of his wine.
And the best grapes are harvested from the best vineyards, which then produce the best champagne.
We are one of the few producers who ferment all of our base wines in barrels. We own more than 1,000 old barrels (228L barrels). We purchase barrels that are more than 5 years old from producers in Chablis. We carefully maintain them every year and use them for 12 to 20 years.
Fermentation is carried out by the grape growers and in each field. The wine is fermented in old barrels at 20-23°C for about 15 days, then left to rest in the barrels on the lees for six months. However, no batonnage or malolactic fermentation is carried out. We value the "flavorful acidity" that is originally required for champagne. After fermentation in the barrel, the wine is left to rest for a long time, allowing the small amount of oxygen passing through the old barrels to cause micro-oxidation, and the moderate oxidation gives the wine a mellowness and also produces antioxidant effects. By coming into contact with a very small amount of air, the "flavorful acidity" is transformed into "flavorful soft acidity."
In addition, they are particular about using only "Cuvées" and blend 40% of the Vin de Réserve, which has been aged in a solera system, to create a consistent taste. Furthermore, even the standard Cuvees are bottle-aged for more than four years to give them a deep flavor, resulting in champagne of consistently excellent quality. The annual production volume is 300,000 bottles.