Champagne Flashcards
What is the Grande Montagne de Reims?
Horseshoe of south facing slopes where chalk layer is deeply burried underground. Mostly Pinot Noir & Meunier planted here.
Marne River (to the east) and city of Reims (to the west).
9 Grand Crus: Ambonnay, Bouzy, Louvois, Beaumont-ser-Vesle, Verzenay, Verzy, Mailly, Sillery, and Puisieulx.
What is the river that runs through Champagne and moderates temp?
Marne River
Also used to transport/carry wines to Paris
Champagne making steps
- Still wine is made
- Assemblage of cuvee
- Bubbles created using liqueur de tirage
- Sur lie aging (autolysis)
- Riddling (remuage) using pupitre or gyropalette
- Disgorging (degorgement)
- Dosage added using liqeur d’expedition
What are the contents of liqueur de tirage
Sugar and wine
What are the contents of liqueur de expedition and how does it affect the style of wine?
Combination of reserve wine and sugar
The number of grams in the sugar (aka the dosage) determines how dry or seeet the Champagne will be.
White grapes
Chardonnary (30% of all plantings)
Red grapes
Pinot Noir (38%)
Meunier (32%)
Where is Cote des Bar and what is it known for?
- Hot spot right now for up and coming growers
- The Aube region (not Reims, unlike many other vineyards)
- Closer to Chablis than Reims
- Mostly Pinot Noir
- Kimmeridgian clay (marly blend of chalk and clay)
Where is Cote de Sezanne and what is known for?
- Small relatively underdeveloped region just south of Cote de Blancs
- Mostly east facing planted with Chardonnay
What are the aging requirements for Champagne?
Non vintage: 12mos on lees, min 15mos total aging
Vintage: min 36mos total aging
What is Echelle des Crus?
- Esablished in 1911
- Classification of VILLAGES in Champagne
- Rates each village on the quality of their grapes
- Grand crus have a score of 100
- 1er crus have a score of 90-99
- Currently 17 grand crus and 42 1er crus
- Intended to set the PORTION of a maximum price a vineyard could receive for its grapes
What is the Comite interprofesionnel du Vin de Champagne?
- Established in 1941
- Set the maximum price that a vineyard can receive for its grapes
- Grand crus receive full price, while ohers receive a portion of the maximum corresponding to their rating.
- Abolished in early 2000s, but grand and 1er crus kept their ratings and producers are allowed to use on their label if grapes come entirely from grand or 1er cru.
What is a Recoltant Manipulant (RM)?
- Growers who make and sell their own champagne
- Will see RM on label
What is Special Club?
- The highest tier of classification that grower Champagnes can achieve.
- “Club de Tresors”
- Established in 1971
- Tough to be included. Selection process intense.
- 1) Taste vin clairs (base wine)
- 2) Taste after 3 yrs of aging, unanimous vote
3 examples of grower Champagne
Doyard
Jean Milan
Pierre Peters
