In my innermost depths, I seem to remember an explosion followed by a fizzing sound and general hubbub. A cork had just popped - the noise was the sound of thousands of euphoric bubbles lapping at the sides of a champagne flute, and the hubbub was just a little laughter, equally euphoric – to toast my birth… And then the first colours I was able to make out – the green of the vines surrounding the family estate, the bluish-purple of our black grapes and the beautiful silvery highlights of our superb Chardonnays. That’s right, I was born in the Champagne region, and making champagne is more than just a trade, it’s a vocation - a calling, even. My life revolves around this prodigious wine and especially this nourishing land that allows us to grow this fruit. Today, my aim, and that of my children who are following in my footsteps, is to protect and preserve Nature, to whom we owe everything. And what better feeling could there be than when you receive the ultimate reward – that special moment when the customer looks at you, his eye as sparkling as his glass, to tell you what a pleasure it is to taste one of your cuvees.
The Maison Lonclas was founded by Bernard Lonclas in 1976, and is set in the heart of the typical village of Bassuet surrounded by slopes whose precious soil is perfect for growing Chardonnay grapes. With the help of his daughter Aurélie, Bernard Lonclas, a man with a passion for the earth and wine, distinguishes himself by rigorously selecting his grapes during harvest-time as well as carefully choosing his different batches. They grow the three Champagne grape varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
This entrepreneurial spirit and the passion and attachment bringing together enthusiasm, modernity and respect for tradition have made the Lonclas brand one of the Champagne region’s benchmarks. Vinification is a major art in this family-run business. Traditional know-how is unashamedly combined with modern technology. Avant-garde equipment is used for pressing and in the thermo-regulated stainless steel fermentation vats.
Once a year, the wines are skilfully blended in an almost ritualistic fashion by Aurélie, Bernard and other members of the team. Each of them expresses their tastes, sensations and emotions to attain the subtlety and originality that make the Bernard Lonclas style unique.
The cosseted wines are then sent down to the cellars where, in the cool darkness, they peacefully await full maturity.
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