Champagne Flashcards
What 7 grapes are allowed under Champagne AOP?
Chardonnay Pinot Noir Pinot Meunier Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris Arbane Petit Meslier
What is the maximum percentage of a year’s harvest that’s allowed to be sold as vintage Champagne?
80%
What are the elevage requirements for Champagne AOP - for NV and vintage?
NV: min 15 months from date of tirage
Vintage: min. 36 months from date of tirage
*note that time on lees is 12 months for NV
What 5 departments does Champagne AOP span?
Aube Aisne Marne Haut-Marne Seine-et-Marne
Describe Champagne’s production in numbers: how much produced, how much in proportion to all sparkling, growers and houses, planted hectares?
1 in 12 bottles of sparkling produced worldwide is Champagne.
16k growers and 340 houses - shipping 362 million bottles (2018)
33843ha planted (2018)
What 4 markets account for about 50% of Champagne exports?
USA, UK, Germany, Japan
How much is a marc of grapes in Champagne and what is this figure based on?
4000kg - based on the amount of grapes that fit in a traditional Coquard press.
What 4 pruning methods are the only allowed in Champagne?
Guyot (double and simple)
Cordon de Royat
Vallee de la Marne
Chablis
What are the 5 districts of Champagne?
Montagne des Reims Vallee de la Marne Cote des Bars (the Aube) Cote des Sezanne Cote des Blancs
How many villages are authorized to produce Champagne? How many of these villages are awarded grand cru status and how many premier cru?
357 total.
17 grand crus.
42 premier crus.
What are the limits on extraction in Champagne production? How much is seperated into the Vin de CUvee and the Vin de Taille?
102 liters per every 160kg of grapes; or 2550 liters of juice per 4000kg of grapes
Vin de Cuvee = first 2500 liters
What is the rebeche?
A third extraction in the methode champenois, required by law. It must comprise 1 to 10% of the total yield and is used for distillate, not for Champagne.
What is debourbage?
After pressing, the juice is allowed to settle for 8 to 15 hours before being racked off of its gross lees (bourbes)
What is the liqueur de tirage? At what point in the Methode Champenois process does it come into play?
A mixture of wine, yeasts, sugar, and fining agents - its purpose is to ignite secondary fermentation. It is added after assemblage and cold stabilization.
What is the prise de mousse? What happens here?
Secondary fermentation - after liqueur de tirage is added, the bottle is affixed with a crown cap and a bidule. Secondary lasts up to 8 weeks - in this time, yeast slowly converts sugar to alcohol and the alcohol raises by 1.2 to 1.3% and a CO2 pressure of 5 to 6 atmospheres.
Regarding the Methode Champenois, what is pointage?
An old, slightly out of date practice of shaking the bottles briskly to prevent sediment from sticking to the sides of the bottle on the bottle’s way to disgorgement. Today’s selected yeast strains preclude this need.
What is remuage?
The process by which sediment is manipulated into the neck of the bottle and into the bidule, through sharp twists and turns of the bottle.
What is a gyropalette?
A Spanish invention, holds 504 bottles, with the purpose of automating hand riddling. It shortens the process from 8 weeks to 1 week or less.
What is the liqueur d’expedition?
The final dose of sugar syrup and wine to send the bottle off with - added post-disgorgement. At disgorgement, the wines will have fermented to the driest style so this is what largely determines the final style.
What are the permitted amounts of RS for a Nature/Non-Dose style Champagne?
0 - 3g/l RS. No dosage.
What are the permitted amounts of RS for Extra Brut style Champagne?
0 - 6 g/l RS.
What are the permitted amounts of RS for Brut style Champagne?
0 - 12 g/l RS
What are the permitted amounts of RS for Extra Dry style Champagne?
12 - 17 g/l RS
What are the permitted amounts of RS for a Sec style Champagne?
17 - 32 g/l RS
What are the permitted amounts of RS for a Demi-Sec style Champagne?
32 - 50 g/l RS
What are the permitted amounts of RS for a Doux style Champagne?
50+ g/l RS
How many liters are in a jeroboam of Champagne? How many ounces is that? Bottles?
3L
4 bottles
101.44 oz
How many liters are in a methuselah of Champagne? How many ounces is that? Bottles?
6L
8 bottles
202.88oz
How many liters are in a salmanazar of Champagne? How many ounces is that? Bottles?
9L
12 bottles
304.33oz
How many liters are in a balthazar of Champagne? How many ounces is that? Bottles?
12L
16 bottles
405.76oz
How many liters are in a Nebuchadnezzar of Champagne? How many ounces is that? Bottles?
15L
20 bottles
507.21oz
How many liters are in a Solomon of Champagne? How many ounces is that? Bottles?
18L
24 bottles
608.65oz
What is Ayala’s top cuvee? Style?
From Ay: Cuvee Pearl d’Ayala - 80% chardonnay, 20% pinot noir, brut and nature. ~$175 retail
Made only in exceptional years, it rests under cork for 9 years (as opposed to crown cap - with the purpose of allowing controlled oxidation)
*the house style is and has been historically dry, with a focus on bright, fresh and clean styles, Chardonnay, and creating a more aperitif styled wine
What are Billecart-Salmon’s top 3 cuvees? Name the styes and general facts about each, as if you might be selling it to a guest.
From Mareuil-sur-Ay
- Nicolas Francois Billecart: 60% Montagne de Reims pinot noir, 40% Cote des Blancs chardonnay. ~$179 retail
- Grand Cuvee: 60% pinot noir, 40% chardonnay
- Elizabeth Salmon Rose: 58% pinot noir, 40% chardonnay. ~$230 retail
Who owns Ayala? What is significant about the Chef du Cave? What Bordeaux property is under the same ownership of Champagne Ayala?
Chateau la Lagune, acquired in 1961
Ayala is owned by Bollinger, as of 2005
Caroline Latrive is the Chef du Cave - only 1 of 2 woman chef du caves in the major Champagne houses
Billecart-Salmon: briefly describe the house history, significance, and style as you might to a guest.
Billecart is the oldest continually operating, family-owned house in Champagne, est. 1818 when the Billecart and Salmon families were joined by marriage. The family produces a “relatively” small amount of wine at 1.7 million bottles per year. The style emphasizes freshness and fruit, elegance and brightnes. They are unique for using an unusually high amount of pinot meunier in their entry level brut reserve.
What are Bollinger’s top 3 cuvees?
1) La Grand Annee
2) RD
3) Vieille Vignes Francaises
Who makes the Champagne Vieilles Vignes Francaises and what is significant about it?
Bollinger. 100% pinot noir sourced from 2 enclosed vineyards, barely totaling an acre - Clos St Jacques and Chaudes Terres in Ay - that have never succumbed to phylloxera and are trained en provignage. However, they aren’t really that old. The oldest is 50 years
Boizel: where are they located and what is their prestige cuvee and styles?
Based in Epernay - a family owned firm producing around 500k bottles per year. The prestige cuvee is Joyeau de France, first produced in 1961. Brut, Brut Rose, and Blanc de Blancs
Who makes Charles VII? What is the blend/style? Where is the house based?
Canard-Duchene, based in Ludes (Marne): launched in 1968 to celebrate their 100th anniversary. NV - brut, brut rose, blanc de blancs, blanc de noirs
Whose prestige cuvee is affixed via ficelage? What is ficelage and what is the cuvee?
Comtes Audois de Dampierre’s ‘Prestige’, a blanc de blancs. It is aged on the lees for 10 years and sold in a distinct red box with a pair of gold plated scissors.
Ficelage: the 18th century method of enclosure, using a 3 stranded hemp string and a lot of skill.
Who owns De Castallane? Where are they based ?
Founded 1895 in Epernay; owned by Laurent-Perrier
