Thursday, 17 June 2010

Spent the afternoon with the Hatons. (Pron. 'Aton')

Jean-Noël is quite a success story. Starting out with his father's 6 hectares in Damery, he and Sandra have in just twenty years built a business that is now, in size, 20th Champagne 'House'.

Pretty good going.

From 1,950 botts in 1973 to over a million today.

I have never seen cleaner cellars. And he let me have a ride on his 'tracteur-enjambeur' a machine which straddles three rows of vines and has a motor in each wheel. Great boy toy!

His vineyards are north side of the Marne, beautiful and top quality which means steep... but you do need a good tractor. Or a helicopter like the one buzzing over the road about 3 feet above the vine wires. How long do they live, those pilots?

Delicious stuff. It's hard to work here. Too much distraction.

Visit laithwaites.co.uk

No comments:

Post a Comment