The latest addition to our artisan champagne offering is Janisson-Baradon, a small grower from the Montagne de Reims established in 1922 by George Baradon (a remueur) and his son-in-law (a cooper).
Five generations later, and now directed by Richard Janisson, and his sons Maxence (principal winemaker) and Cyril Janisson, they have 9ha of vineyards which encircle Epernay (Champagne’s capital) to the west, in the Massif St. Thierry, and with the remainder in Chouilly (this latter forming the base for a Grand Cru Chardonnay which they produce).
For several years they have been practising lutte raisonnée, basically using the bare minimum of chemicals in their vineyards and grassing over between vine rows, for example, to maintain soil integrity as much as possible, a practise that has becoming increasingly common in Champagne.
Vinification is a mix of steel and wood with malolactic fermentation for the non-vintage cuvées and 100% wood (old Burgundy barrels, 3-18 years old) with no malolactic performed for the vintages. They are also experimenting with cement egg fermentation, of which they have two.
All the wines are characterised by long lees ageing and 6 months minimum resting period between disgorgement and release. The vintage cuvées are striking in their presentation as they don’t have printed labels, rather, the cuvée name is stencilled in white (actually, it looks like it’s been Tippex-ed!) on the dark bottle.
We have taken on two cuvées, the non-vintage Non-Dosé and the vintage Chemin des Conges.
The latest addition to our artisan champagne offering is Janisson-Baradon, a small grower from the Montagne de Reims established in 1922 by George Baradon (a remueur) and his son-in-law (a cooper).
Five generations later, and now directed by Richard Janisson, and his sons Maxence (principal winemaker) and Cyril Janisson, they have 9ha of vineyards which encircle Epernay (Champagne’s capital) to the west, in the Massif St. Thierry, and with the remainder in Chouilly (this latter forming the base for a Grand Cru Chardonnay which they produce).
For several years they have been practising lutte raisonnée, basically using the bare minimum of chemicals in their vineyards and grassing over between vine rows, for example, to maintain soil integrity as much as possible, a practise that has becoming increasingly common in Champagne.
Vinification is a mix of steel and wood with malolactic fermentation for the non-vintage cuvées and 100% wood (old Burgundy barrels, 3-18 years old) with no malolactic performed for the vintages. They are also experimenting with cement egg fermentation, of which they have two.
All the wines are characterised by long lees ageing and 6 months minimum resting period between disgorgement and release. The vintage cuvées are striking in their presentation as they don’t have printed labels, rather, the cuvée name is stencilled in white (actually, it looks like it’s been Tippex-ed!) on the dark bottle.
We have taken on two cuvées, the non-vintage Non-Dosé and the vintage Chemin des Conges.