Les 5 du Vin in Champagne: Les Artisans du Champagne

Some of Les Artisans du Champagne

Following the visit of Les 5 du Vin to Champagne in early November our cooperative blog is dedicated this week to a series of posts on various aspects of Champagne. My Tuesday post is now up here.   

The rest of Les Artisans

Les 5 du Vin sparkle in Champagne with Les Artisans du Champagne (more photos)

Le boulot terminé!

Some more photos from Les 5 du Vin's short stay in Champagne (3rd and 4th November) where we were guests of Alfred Gratien and Les Artisans du Champagne. These photos come from the first of two tastings we had with Les Artisans, who are now a group of 14 producers. The first tasting was on the afternoon of Thursday 3rd and featured seven of the artisans hosted at Champagne Doyard. The next day it was the turn of the remaining seven. Overall I was impressed by both the quality and the diversity of the Champagnes we were shown. At the beginning of December there will be a week devoted to Champagne on Les 5's blog. My contribution will be on Les Artisans.     

Pascal Gerbais: Champagne Pierre Gerbais 

Yannick Doyard: Champagne Doyard

 Serving the group

 Christophe Constant: Champagne JL Vergnon

Gilles Lancelot: Champagne Lancelot

Doyard glasses 

Part of the Doyard chai incorporating an old building

 Nicolas Jaeger: Alfred Gratien

 Jean-Paul Hébrart: Champagne Marc Hébrart

 Some previous posts on Les 5 en Champagne here and here.

Les 5 du Vin sparkle in Champagne: some views

Golden tree near Champagne Vilmart in Rilly-la-Montagne

Before our Friday tasting with the remaining members of Les Artisans du Champagne there was a brief 25 minutes or so for us to rush off and try to capture some of that extraordinarily vivid and sharp light of that morning. And capture the remaining but fast disappearing golden leaves from the autumn of 2011.    

View from the base of the Montagne de Reims across to the city

 In the process of grubbing up a parcel (above and below)

 A few burnished leaves but going fast

 Another view towards Reims

A second view of the golden tree

Les 5 du Vin sparkle in Champagne

 Les Artisans du Champagne@Champagne Doyard

Les 5 du Vin are on a two day visit to Champagne guests of Alfred Gratien Champagne and Les Artisans du Champagne. Some photos from the first day. More to follow.

 Hervé Lalau

Marc Vanhellemont considering a Champagne Alfred Gratien 

Michel Smith 

 Herve Lalau pays due homage to Michel Smith