Champagne Flashcards
Comtes Audoin de Dampierre Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Chenay
“Presitge”
100% Chardonnay
What other factors aided the boom of Champagne?
Glass and Cork Technology
Blanc de Blancs
100% Chardonnay is required, but it is not always sourced from the Côte des Blancs. They may be vintage-dated or NV. The Blanc de Blancs category represents some of Champagne’s most ageworthy bottlings; while austere and often steely in youth, better examples develop an intense bouquet with maturity.
What did Jean-Antoine Chaptal discover and when?
Relationship between sugar and fermentation in 1801
5 districts of Champagne
Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and the Côte des Bars (the Aube)
CM (Coopérative Manipulant)
A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand
Are yields generally higher or lower than other appellations in France?
Higher
Lanson Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims "Noble Cuvée" (Brut, Blanc de Blancs, NV Rosé) Brut. 60-70% Chardonnay, 30-40% Pinot Noir Rosé: 62% Chardonnay 32% Pinot Noir
Billecart-Salmon Vilage, Prestige Cuvee and Blend
Mareuil-sur-Ay
“Nicolas François Billecart”
60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
“Grande Cuvée”:
60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
“Elisabeth Salmon Rosé”
58% Pinot Noir, 42% Chardonnay
Alfred Gatien Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Epernay
“Cuvée Paradis” NV
(Brut and Brut Rosé)
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Who was the Veuve Cliquot?
Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin
Hubert Dauvergne Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Bouzy
“Fine Fleur de Bouzy”
100% Pinot Noir
How many Villages are Grand Cru? Premier Cru?
17 Grand Cru, 42 Premier Cru
What does Pinot Noir bring to a blend?
Pinot Noir supports the wine’s structure, richness and body
Non-Vintage
Generally brut in style, the NV cuvée represents a house’s signature style, and the blender’s job is to ensure its consistency from year to year. Non-vintage Champagne makes up at least three-quarters of the market.
Why do you not see many old vines in Champagne?
Lowered yields are undesirable to bigger houses
Sec RS
17-32 g/l
Vintage
100% of the blend must come from the stated vintage, yet a maximum 80% of a year’s harvest may be sold as vintage Champagne. The better houses declare a vintage only in exceptional years. These are usually brut in style, and good examples can age for a decade or more.
Louis Roederer Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims "Cristal" (Brut and Brut Rosé) Cristal Brut: 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay (approx.)
Guy Larmandier Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Vertus
“Cramant Grand Cru Cuvée Prestige”
100% Chardonnay
Where did Dom Perignon work?
Abbey de Hautvillers
Joseph Perrier, Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Chalons-en-Champagne
“Cuvée Joséphine”
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Canard Duchene Village, Prestige Cuvee
Ludes
“Charles VII” NV
(Brut, Brut Rosé, Blanc de Blancs, and Blanc de Noirs)
In what percentages are the three main grapes planted
In 2012, Pinot Noir accounted for 38% of total plantings, Chardonnay accounted for 30%, and Meunier accounted for 32%
Mean annual temperature of Champagne?
50 degrees Fahrenheit
Brut Nature/No Dosage RS
0-3 g/l with no dosage
Demi Sec RS
32-50 g/l
Piper-Heidsick Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims
“Rare”
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Growers and wine makers from what region almost rioted after being left out of the delimitation?
Southern Aube
Blanc de Noirs
White wine produced solely from black grapes. The wine usually displays richness, intensity, and weight, although it can lack the supreme elegance and finesse of Blanc de Blancs.
Grand Cru Villages Cotes de Blancs
Chouilly* (GC for white) Oiry* Cramant Avize Oger* Le Mesnil-sur-Oger*
RC (Récoltant Coopérateur)
A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but sells the wine under his own label
Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
“La Grande Dame”
(Brut and Brut Rosé)
Brut: 60-65% Pinot Noir,
30-35% Chardonnay
Why do most growers sell their grapes in Champagne?
The process of creating sparkling wine is too expensive
How is cru status awarded in Champagne?
To entire villages as opposed to vineyards
What did Verve Cliquot pioneer under her leadership?
Riddling (Remuage)
De Meric Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Ay
“Catherine de Médicis”
50% Chardonnay
50% Pinot Noir
Laurent-Perrier Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Tours-sur-Marne "Grand Siècle" (typically NV) 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir (approx.)
“Alexandra” (Vintage Rosé)
80% Pinot Noir,
20% Chardonnay
Oldest sparkling Champagne house and when was it founded?
Ruinart, 1729
Doux
50+ g/l
What is the only AOC/AOP region that does not need to include Appellation Contrôlée (or Protégée) on the label?
Champagne
Bruno Paillard Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims
“Nec-Plus-Ultra”
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Jacques Selosse Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Avize
“Substance” NV
100% Chardonnay
Extra Brut RS
0-6 g/l
What happened in the 1914 vintage?
Women and Children brought in the harvest despite being bombarded by German Artillery, Leading to one of the best vintages in the history of Champagne
Oldest Champagne house, and when was it founded?
Gosset, 1584 as a still wine producer
AR Lenoble Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Chouilly
“Cuvée Les Aventures” (NV),
“Cuvée Gentilhomme” (Vintage)
100% Chardonnay (both)
Bollinger Village, Prestige Cuvee and Blend
Ay "La Grande Année", "R.D.", "Vieilles Vignes Françaises" 100% Pinot Noir
What is special about Belemnite Chalk?
It is porous, and absorbs heat during the day, derived from the fossilized remains of millions of extinct cephalopods, has a high limestone content, which allows vine roots to dig deeply and is linked to increased acidity
What three towns are most of the bigger houses of Champagne located in?
Reims, Ay, Epernay
G.H. Mumm Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims
“Cuvée R. Lalou”
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
RM (Récoltant Manipulant)
A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards.
Charles Heidsick Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims
“Blanc des Millénaires”
100% Chardonnay
Taittinger Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims "Comtes de Champagne" (Blanc de Blancs and Rosé) "Taittinger Collection" Rosé: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay Collection: 50% Chardonnay 50% Pinot Noir
In what districts is Pinot Noir the dominant grape?
Montagne de Reims and the Aube
In what year did the French government delimit the Champagne Region?
1908
Chartogne-Taillet Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Merfy
“Fiacre”
60% Chardonnay,
40% Pinot Noir
What covers chalk in Champagne in a thin layer?
Clay and sand
Only Grand Cru in Montagne de Reims that doesn’t plant a majority Pinot Noir
Sillery, 57% Chardonnay
Drappier Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Urville
“Charles du Gaulle”
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Why are most Champagnes non vintage?
Because of invariable ripening and unpredictability of vintages
Bonnaire Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Cramant
“Cuvée Prestige”
100% Chardonnay
What kind of soil is found in the valleys of Champagne?
micraster chalk, named for an extinct sea urchin
Moet et Chandon Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Epernay "Dom Pérignon", "Dom Pérignon Oenothèque" (both Brut/Brut Rosé) Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Diebolt-Vallois Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Cramant
“Fleur de Passion”
100% Chardonnay
Delamotte Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
“Nicolas Louis Delamotte”
90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir
(No Longer Produced)
Jacquesson Village
Dizy
Still wine appellations of Champagne
Coteaux Champenois and Rosé de Riceys are still wine appellations within the region of Champagne. Coteaux Champenois covers still red, white, and rosé wines from the entire appellation; Rosé de Riceys is reserved for 100% Pinot Noir rosé wines produced in Les Riceys, a cru village in the Aube.
Ayala Village, Prestige Cuvee and Blend
Ay
“Cuvée Perle d’Ayala” (Brut and Nature)
80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir
Boizel Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Epernay
“Joyau de France” (Brut and Brut Rosé)
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Prestige Cuvee
Usually the finest and most expensive bottling that a house offers, the prestige cuvée is typically (but not always) vintage-dated and aged for a number of years prior to release. Prestige Cuvées are usually only released in superior vintages, and may undergo more traditional vinification procedures, such as barrel fermentation, riddling by hand, and cork-finishing during the second fermentation. Many of the large houses produce prestige cuvées from their own vineyards—even single vineyards in exceptional cases.
Gosset Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Formerly Ay, now Epernay as of 2010
“Celebris”
(Blanc de Blancs NV, Vintage Extra Brut Rosé and Vintage Extra Brut)
“Celebris” Extra Brut: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (blends vary widely with vintage.)
Perrier-Jouet Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Epernay "Belle Époque/Fleur de Champagne (USA)" (Brut, Brut Rosé, and Blanc de Blancs) Brut: 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 5% Meunier
Henriot Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims
“Cuvée des Enchanteleurs”
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
In what two districts is Chardonnay dominant?
Cote de Sezanne and almost exclusively planted in the Cote de Blancs
Where are the vineyards planted in the Montagne de Reims and why?
The vineyards of the Montagne de Reims are, surprisingly, divided between south- and north-facing slopes. The plain beneath the northern Montagne de Reims is too cold for viticulture, but the higher slopes of the region’s plateau enjoy a pocket of warm air that allows the grapes to ripen
Rules for “Special Club Wines”
The “Special Club” is the top-of-the-range, prestige cuvée for all members
The Club Trésors will declare a vintage as being worthy of “Special Club” prestige cuvées, then each member may decide individually whether or not to produce a “Special Club” wine
All base wines and finished “Special Club” wines must undergo tasting analysis
All “Special Club” bottles share an identical label and bottle shape
Requirements for membership in Club Trésors de Champagne
Viticulture must occur on the estate (only RM producers may join)
Vinification and bottling must occur on the estate
Members must respect and uphold the Club’s charter
ND (Négociant Distributeur)
A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make
Paul Dethune Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Ambonnay
“Brut Prestige” (NV)
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
Seven AOP Regions for Cremant
Crémant de Bordeaux Crémant de Bourgogne Crémant de Loire Crémant de Limoux Crémant de Die Crémant du Jura Crémant d’Alsace
Ruinart Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims
“Dom Ruinart”
(Blanc de Blancs and Rosé)
Rosé: 85% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir
Extra Dry RS
12-17 g/l
Grand Cru Villages Vallee de la Marne
Ay
Tours-sur-Marne
When did Phylloxera strike Champagne?
1890’s
NM (Négociant Manipulant)
A house that purchases grapes and or base wines from growers and other smaller houses. Some NM houses own a significant portion of their own vineyards; others own none at all. Large Champagne houses with the most international presence are invariably in this category: Moët et Chandon, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Billecart-Salmon, Lanson, Taittinger, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët, Mumm, and Laurent-Perrier. Quality varies widely, although prices are uniformly high. Many houses often fall under the same corporate parentage; for example, Moët et Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, and Mercier fall under the umbrella of the luxury conglomerate LVMH.
Who discovered the precise amount of sugar needed to create a second fermentation without breaking the bottle?
Andre Francois
Pol Roger Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Epernay
“Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill”
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Three main grapes of Champagne
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier
What is the dominant soil type in the Aube?
Clay
Ployez-Jaquemart Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Ludes
“Liesse d’Harbonville”
70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir
Henri Billiot Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Ambonnay
“Cuvée Laetitia” (NV)
“Cuvée Julie” (NV)
“Cuvée Laetitia”: Predominantly Chardonnay
“Cuvée Julie”: 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
SR (Société de Récoltants)
A firm, not a co-operative, set up by a union of often related growers, who share resources to make their wines and collectively market several brands.
In what district is Pinot Meunier dominant and why?
Meunier is heavily cultivated in the sheltered vineyards of the frost-prone Vallée de la Marne, where its tendency to bud late and ripen early is prized by growers
Grand Cru Villages of Montagne de Reims
Sillery Puisieulx Beaumont-Sur-Vesle Verzenay Mailly-Champagne Verzy* Louvois Bouzy Ambonnay
Duval-Leroy Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Vertus
“Femme de Champagne”
89% Chardonnay, 11% Pinot Noir
Pommery, Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
Reims "Cuvée Louise" (Brut and Brut Rosé) Brut: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir
Vilmart & Cie Village, Prestige Cuvee, Blend
“Coeur de Cuvée”
80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir
What does Chardonnay bring to a blend?
Chardonnay provides elegance and longevity
What type of soil is found on the slopes of Champagne?
Belemnite Chalk
Single Vineyard Champagne
Single Vineyard Champagne bottlings may be produced by a large house or a smaller grower-producer, and may or may not be advertised as a prestige cuvée. Single Vineyard wines are not required to carry a vintage date, although they invariably do, and the style represents a stark departure from the blending philosophy of the region. Philipponnat’s “Clos de Goisses,” originally released for the 1935 vintage from one of the few walled vineyards of the region, remains a benchmark bottling.
Brut RS
0-12 g/l
What happened the number of villages allowed to provide grapes to Champagne in 2009?
It increased from 319 to 357 to keep up with world wide demand
What is bouvreux and why does it happen?
Second crop that happens when rain interrupts flowering
Dom Perignon influence in winemaking?
Blending (Assemblage), Viticulture
Who put the first Brut Champagne on the market and when?
Pommery, 1874
How does the Echelles de Crus work?
Each village is given a rating between 0 and 100. 100 is a Grand Cru village and will receive 100 percent of the price set. 90-99 is Premier cru and will receive the percentage of the price equal to their rating. Below 90 is simply a cru.
MA (Marque d’Acheteur)
A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label
What does Pinot Meaner bring to a blend?
youthful fruitiness and approachability
What other 4 grapes are allowed in certain parts of Champagne?
Pinot Blanc Vrai (“true” Pinot Blanc, a white form of Pinot Noir), Arbane, Pinot Gris, and Petit Meslier