The law is clear: a secondary fermentation (the second fermentation, called carbonic fermentation) and ageing in bottle must last at least 15 months before disgorging and marketing the champagne under the appellation.
At Pierrel, we extend the aging of our Brut Grande Réserve to 36 months in the cellar, more than double that! This results in greater aromatic complexity and finer, more integrated bubbles. Only time can refine bubbles!
For example, a grape harvested in 2025 will be bottled in 2026, then aged for 3 years in the cellars and marketed in 2029... We take our time, for sure !
For a vintage Champagne, the law stipulates that the wine must be allowed to rest for at least 36 months. But? Isn't that the same amount of time we take for our base cuvée? Yes! We craft our non-vintage Bruts (a blend of several vintages) like the finest Champagne cuvées, in essence… And we let our vintages rest for at least 8 years, and often even 10, before releasing them!
You probably have other questions; here are our answers in the following links:
What is the difference between a Blanc de Blancs and a Blanc de Noirs Champagne?