Champagne Agrapart

Pascal and Fabrice Agrapart farm 24 acres broken into more than 60 parcels the length of the Cote des Blancs. The viticulture is meticulous including the absence of herbicides or pesticides, a generally minimalist cellar protocol and manual (in some instances horse-plowing), with soil-conscious growing of officially organic or biodynamic persuasion. “It’s in warm, dry vintages with low acidity that you most see the effect of working the soil and making the roots go deep,” opines Pascal Agrapart. Vinification is mainly in tank for the two least expensive bottlings, but otherwise in old demi-muids in which primary fermentation is spontaneous and generally leisurely, with malo-lactic conversion initiated via a vinous starter to insure steady completion.