Disgorging is the process that extracts the lees concentrate in the neck of the bottle thanks to the pressure inside.

For efficiency, disgorging has been done mechanically for many years in Champagne. Nonetheless, at GARDET, jeroboams and methuselahs are still disgorged by hand ‘à la volée’ by our cellar master ! The mechanical disgorging consists of plunging the necks of the bottles in brine at minus 25°C. This freezes the lees lying on the cap in a small plug of ice. The bottle is opened and the plug flies out with a very small loss of pressure.

Before closing the bottle with the famous champagne cork we give to our champagne its final touch by dosing it. Dosage will determine if it will be a brut or a demi sec … champagne.

The ‘liqueur de dosage’ is made of cane sugar mixed with reserve wine. At GARDET, we use the wine kept in the oak cask which gives to our Champagnes their unique cachet.

After resting a few more weeks in the cellars in order to allow the champagne to settle, the famous bottles will just need to be labelled before being shipped throughout the world.