Our Vineyard
We nurture nordicity.
Our hybrid and vitis vinifera vines have taken root in the Appalachian highlands, the Quebec wine region with highest altitude, located at the heart of the Eastern Townships. The lofty 250m elevation gives our grapes wholesome aeration and an advantageous contrast between warm days and cool nights. This disparity slows the grapes’ maturation and preserves an exceptional acidity, crucial to producing sparkling wines.
Winter, the reason why our sparkling wines are unique
The concept of extreme viticulture truly reaches its apex here, between intense cold spells with temperatures dropping to -30°C in winter and heatwaves as intense as 30°C in summer. Snow, frost and a short maturation period all affect the vines’ fragile equilibrium. The climate challenges may seem gargantuan but are worth every effort as they provide a unique range of nuances to our northern bubbles.
Our soil is by far our greatest asset. Loam, sand and pebbles all contribute to a rich tapestry: an acidic and shallow home to the microfauna essential to cultivation. From there came the decision to embrace organic and biodynamic viticultural principles, well before we planted our very first vines.
Biodynamics, more than earth and sun, a guiding light
Conventional viticulture takes from the earth without giving much in return. Organic viticulture aims to give back as much as it takes. Biodynamic viticulture looks to enrich the earth beyond what is harvested. Our vineyard is a living entity. We nurture its biodiversity and every care is provided to ensure a lasting ecosystem in the hope it can become a self-sufficient organism. This means 90% of our time is devoted to the land. Experience has taught us that healthy grapes require very little intervention once harvested. Enhanced by wholesome yeast native to our region, the wine has everything it needs to convey its distinctiveness fostered over a whole season.
Our vines are part of our North-American botanical inheritance. They are perfectly suited to their terroir.
A terroir is not just land: it’s a combination of topography, soil and climate and we truly believe it best works its magic when the vine is native to the region. For this reason, we have chosen hybrid varieties such as st-pépin, frontenac, acadie, radisson and sabrevois. The result of natural cross-pollination between European and American vines, they form a befitting part of the exiting flora while exhibiting complex phenolics and aromatic maturity. Hybrid varieties have proven more resistant to diseases and our weather conditions, and therefore provide quality and durability.
Brut sparkling wines as nature intended
For over a decade, our vocation has been to create sparkling wines that conscientiously reflect the unique characteristics of our nordicity all the while respecting our precious ecosystem. Our know-how of traditional methods suited to the province of Québec is unparalleled and stoked by an ongoing commitment to continually improve our methods and procedures to ensure as pure a vinification as possible. Manipulations and additions are reduced to a minimum: alcoholic fermentations use yeasts native to our region, and our wines are unfiltered and free of fining agents.
Refermenting to better channel our terroir
Every vintage starts as a blank canvas. We sample each wine at the end of their fermentation process to pair them so they complement one another. More artistry than science - even for two winemakers with scientific backgrounds - especially given that this creative process is followed by a second fermentation period and a prolonged aging on lees. The winemakers must therefore rely on instinct. The bubbles then form thanks to leaven and organic beet sugar. Finally, the wine enters a maturation on lees period where it evolves over a period of 15 to 36 months. This second fermentation is the refining process that gives our wines their enhanced individuality.