Champagne Flashcards
First Champagne house?
Ruinart 1729
First intentionally crafted Champagne?
1695-1698
First Champagne drinking glass?
1755 (Long conical bowl)
What is Salon’s Cuvee “S” Le Mensil Blanc de Blanc?
100% Chardonnay from one village (mono-cru) since 1921
Does Champagne have more co-operatives than any other wine region?
Yes
What does CIVC stand for?
Comite Interprofessional du vin de Champagne
(Can block or authorize the release of a producers reserves)
Who initiated formal viticulture?
Romans
What were wines of Champagne known as?
Vins de la montagne (Mountain wines)
Vins de la Riviere (River wines)
What does “surlattes” mean?
On the lattes
Thin strips of wood used to separate one row of Champagne bottles from another in a stack
What are Troyes?
Looks like a Champagne cork when viewed from above
Was also once the capital of Champagne
What year did they allow for transport and trade of Champagne bottles?
1728
Prior to this was only permitted to be transported and sold in cask, but didn’t hold effervescence
When were growers from Aube included within the Champagne production zone?
After rioting
In the 20th century Champagne was the drink of what?
Belle Epoque and the roaring twenties
What 3 terms are used if it’s made outside Champagne?
Cremant, Petillant, Mousseaux
Can use Methode Traditionnelle
What is the largest AOC in France by volume?
Champagne
Climate?
Continental, marked maritime influences
Most Northerly French wine region?
Champagne
What is Kimmeridgean Marl?
Formed during Jurassic Period
Found in Cote des Bar (Aube) which is park of Kimmeridgean ring (Ring of limestone marl outcroppings that run through England and France)
Also found in Chablis, Auxerre, Yonne Valley, Sancerre
What is Kimmeridgean Marl?
Formed during Jurassic Period
Found in Cote des Bar (Aube) which is park of Kimmeridgean ring (Ring of limestone marl outcroppings that run through England and France)
Also found in Chablis, Auxerre, Yonne Valley, Sancerre
Soils within Paris Basin?
Chalk, Limestone marls, sand/clay
Where are there chalk soils?
Reims, Epernay, Cote des Blancs
Grapes here are high in acid, lean wines, reserved aromatics
Chalk-Porous limestone, sedimentary rock of calcium carbonate
Where are Limestone-rich marls?
Montagne de Reims
Cote des Bar—ONLY has Kimmeridgean marl
Does not have water retention capacity of chalk
Preferred soil for Pinot Noir
Where is sand and clay found?
Vallee de la Marne, Val de Reims, Coteaux Sud d’Epernay
Val du petit Morin has some white chalk as well
Cotedu Sezanne mix of chalk and clay
Sandy soils=more overt fruit notes
4 principal sub regions in Champagne?
Montagne and val de Remins
Vallee de la Marne
Cotes des Blancs and surroundings
Cote des Bar
Montagne and Val de Reims consists of how many terroirs?
What are they?
4
-Massif de Saint Thierry-Most Northerly terroir within Champagne
Meunier is #1
Sand/clay/marl
-Vesle and Ardre
Meunier is #1
-Grande Montagne de Reims (Horseshoe shaped)
Pinot noir is #1
Limestone/some chalk
-Monts de Berm
Chardonnay=90%
Chalk
Valle de la Mare has 6 terroirs what are they?
-Marne River, flows West to Paris
Pinot Noir
-Vallee de la Marne River
Gauche (Left) River Droite (Right)
Ouest (West) all sand, marl, clay
Meunier #1
-Limestone uplift known as Conde
Meunier
Btwn Chateau-Thierry and Dormans
-Coteaux Sud d’Epernay
Sand, marl, clay, chalk,
Meunier and Chardonnay
Tiny bit Pinot Noir
Cotes des Blancs and surroundings have how many terroirs?
5
Chalk subsoils
Cote des Blancs is most famous and Chardonnay is 97% here
Valdu Petitmorin-Chalk, sand, marl, clay
Chardonnay and Meunier
Cote de Sezanne and Vitryat
Chardonnay
Chalk
What is Belemnite chalk?
Fossilized remains of ancient arrow or dart like relatives of today’s squid
What is Micraster Chalk?
Fossilized sea urchins, member of the starfish family
What is the southern most region in Champagne?
Cote Des Bar
K Marls
Pinot Noir =85%
2 terroirs-Barsur-Aubois (Flanks Aube river)
Barsequanais (5 small river valleys near Les Riceys of rose fame
What is Echelle des Crus?
Scale of growths
Recognizes different terroirs within the large Champagne AOC
Ranks the 300+ wine producing villages and vineyards that surround them in hierarchy
17 villages rated Grand Cru
6 are in the Cote Des Balncs
9 are in the Montagne de Reims
2 in the Valle de la Marne
Villages with a 90-99% rating are Premier Crus
42 Villages are Premier Cru
Must have 80% rating to use grapes in Champagne production
Grand Cru DOES NOT signify a single vineyard, nor does Premier Cru
What is Tours-Sur-Marne?
It’s counted among the Grand Crus of the Valle de la Marne by CIVC
What were prices of Champagne based on?
Vineyard classification
Now they are settled by individual contract
What were the principal grapes from 9th-16th centuries?
Gouais (Blanc, Noir) and Fromenteau
What were Fromenteau wines called?
What were Gouais Noir wines called?
Vins de la riviere
Vins de la Montagne
Are Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Arbaen, Petit Meslier still authorized in Champagne AOC?
Yes, but the Cahier des Charges does not make them this distinction
*Tarlant and Drappier make Champagne from these grapes
What grape is most planted in Champagne?
Pinot Noir
Has the least amount of acid
Limestone
What grape has least amount of alcohol?
Pinot Meunier
Marl, clay, sand
What soils for Chardonnay?
Chalk
4 training methods?
Chablis, Cordon, Guyot,
Valle de la marne (Exclusively for Meunier)
What training method for Grand Cru and Premier Cru?
Chablis or Cordon
