Parigot Crémant de Bourgogne
The disgorging
This is the operation that will
remove the deposit that is now concentrated in the bottleneck.
The technique used for this is the discharging by ice that consists of plunging
the bottles upside down in a bath of salt water at -25°C. An ice cube forms in
the bottleneck, trapping in it the deposit. When the bottle is opened, the
pressure inside the bottle will expel the ice cube containing the dregs: this
is the "disgorging".
Before resealing the bottle with its definitive cork, a dose (known also as an expedition liquor) must be added to it. This liquor is made from white cane sugar dissolved in A.O.C. white wine. Its role is to bring together all the flavours and aromas of the crémant. The previously discussed long aging process in the cellar allows Parigot to keep this dose to a minimum.
After a rest period, all that is left to do is clean the bottles and put the
labels on before sending them off around the world.
Even thought crémants should be more so aged in the cellar of the winemaker and not the consumer, they can nevertheless be stored on average between two and five years. The optimal aging time for a crémant depends on several criteria, notably the quality of the wine used to make them and the amount of time they spend aging on their dregs.
A final tip: veer towards serving the crémant in flutes - they concentrate the "nose" and aromas better, and can only help you to better appreciate the fine bubbles by making them last longer.