Francois Mikulski, Cremant de Bourgogne NV

Traditional wine-making method. Harvested by hand in small, perforated crates, the grapes remain whole and intact so that the different-quality first and second pressing juices (cuvée and taille) can be separated into fractions, thus avoiding the risk of oxidation. They are pressed in a pneumatic press, following strict proportions: 150kg of pressed grapes must give a maximum of 100 litres of musts. The juice ferments in stainless steel tanks, after settling naturally for around 24 hours. Once the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation achieved, basis wines are blended, bottled and sealed with crown caps, with an adding of sugar and yeasts, to have a third bottle fermentation occur, that will produce CO2 and what we call “Prise de Mousse”. Then, bottles are stored horizontally in our cellars and will age on lees during at least 12 months at a regulated temperature between 12 and 15°C. Next, bottles are settled on their tips and riddled on gyropallets, in order to force down the deposit of lees in the neck of the bottles. Deposit that will be then forced out thanks to the disgorging. Before the final corking and labelling, the “Liqueur d’Expédition” will be added following the final required dosage.

François Mikulski's small winery, which is only about 9 hectares in size, has only existed since 1992, but it quickly made a name for itself worldwide thanks to its outstanding wines. Specialist journalists and wine connoisseurs like to compare his wines with those of the neighboring cult winemaker Coche-Dury - with the difference that they are significantly cheaper than them. The wines appear to be rather "modern" in style without actually being so. The use of new wood is only 20 to 30 percent. Cultivation takes place in a natural economy. The main focus is on preserving the natural balance and biodiversity of the soil. François Mikulski is a free spirit who is well aware of the traditions of his region, but who, when he founded his winery, didn't have to follow in someone else's footsteps, but was able to determine his own style. The "white wine specialist" Mikulski has also become a real insider tip for red wines