Traditional Method
Méthode traditionnelle — secondary fermentation in bottle, the foundation of champagne
The Process
In the traditional method, a still base wine (vin clair in Champagne) is bottled with a small addition of sugar and yeast — the liqueur de tirage. The bottle is sealed with a crown cap and stored horizontally. The yeast consumes the sugar, producing alcohol and CO₂ that dissolves into the wine, creating the characteristic pressure (5–6 atmospheres in champagne).
After secondary fermentation is complete, the bottles enter a period of lees aging — often months or years — during which the spent yeast cells break down (autolysis) and contribute toasty, brioche, and nutty complexity.
The lees are then collected in the bottle neck through riddling (remuage) — traditionally by hand, now often by gyropalette — and expelled through disgorgement (dégorgement). A small amount of wine (the dosage) is added to top up the bottle before final corking.
What Makes It Distinct
Traditional method wines are distinguished by their autolytic character (yeast-derived complexity), their fine and persistent mousse (small, long-lasting bubbles), and their ability to age. The technique is also significantly more labor-intensive and expensive than tank-fermented alternatives.
In Natural Champagne
Natural producers using the traditional method often substitute the conventional liqueur de tirage (refined sugar + commercial yeast) with fresh grape juice — the "Agrapart method" or "jus de tirage." Legrand-Latour does this: his wines are technically made from nothing but grape juice, start to finish.