Champagne Producers Flashcards
Paul Bara
Montagne de Reims
Only eleven hectares of vines
Cellar is carved out of chalk and reaches 30 feet below ground
Chantale (daughter) is now in charge of Production
Made by hand with low yields
Billecart-Salmon facts
Billecart-Salmon is currently run by the seventh generation of the Billecart family since its inception in 1811.
Their blends are red fruit dominant, driven by Pinot Noir and Meunier
Bollinger Facts
Commune (winery location): Aÿ
They started the winery on February 6th, 1829.
Today Jérôme Philippon is the first non-family member to run the firm, taking charge in 2008
Ulysse Collin
Head: Olivier Collin
Worked at Selosse in 2001
Today he makes a series of intensely site-expressive, single-vineyard champagnes.
Ulysse Collin is the only estate in Champagne to release 100% of its wines as single
vineyards expressions.
Benoit Dehu
After a defining period at Champagne Bollinger, eighth generation Benoit Déhu returned to his family’s historic (pre-French Revolution) estate on the western edge of the Vallée de la Marne.
Wines are fermented and aged in oak barrels, many of which are made from trees in the nearby forest of Fossoy. The resulting wines are intense and vibrant with a driving minerality.
The style of Benoit’s low- and zero-dosage wines is intense, urgent and energetic, with beautiful tension and fine minerality. Though production is miniscule – less than 4,000 bottles – fellow vignerons and wine professional are taking note of Benoit’s work, earning him an enthusiastic underground following. He has quickly established himself as a vigneron to watch in one of France’s most dynamic and progressive wine growing regions.
Delamotte
When François Delamotte – a vineyard owner in Reims – founded the House in 1760
Dehours
Location: Vallee De La Marne
Head: Jerome Dehours
Style:
Father passed when he was 21
Waited to take over after family had to give control to financial companyVallée de la Marne
Total vineyard holdings: 14.5 hectares
Annual production: 7,500 cases
Vines: 60% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir
Michel Fallon
Michel Fallon is an elusive producer to say the least and his tiny production of roughly 1,000 bottles a year at most are as hard to come by as any top grower Champagne you can imagine. Michel has spent the last 30 years as the primary assistant to the Champagne visionary Anselme Selosse. He has touched nearly every aspect of production during his time with Selosse, from working in the vineyards to the cellar. He has a better understanding of the “Selosse” method than just about anyone else, a method he applies to his own wine.
Michel produces just one wine, Ozanne, the name is a nod to the historical name of Avize that was in use until 796.
Native yeast fermentations in barrel, with no additives and little to no interference of any kind
Jacquesson
Founded: 1798
Head of Estate: Jean-Herve Chiquet with his brother Laurent
Wines of rare depth and finesse. The work in the vineyards is largely organic.
Jacquesson’s champagnes are vinified in large oak casks which result in greater complexity and aroma. Generous, mouth filling style.
They are known for using very low dosages.
700 series are some of the finest NV Bottlings
Krug
Commune (winery location): Reims
Year Established: 1843
Principal Vineyard Holdings: Approximately 20 ha
Average Total Production: Approximately 50,000 cases
Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage
Clos d’Ambonnay Blanc de Noirs Brut Vintage
Summary: The signature style of Krug is centered upon the art of blending. Each parcel is fermented separately, constituting upwards of 200 different wines in any single harvest. Each year, a selection of these 200 wines is blended together with a vast array of reserve stocks, and for the Grand Cuvée, this may include up to 50% reserve wine spanning over 20 vintages. All of their wines are considered Prestige Cuvée quality, and Krug is the leader in the luxury Champagne category. A proportion of their vintage wine is held back for a late release bottling, which is named Krug Collection.
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: Base wines are all fermented in small oak cask, 205 L in size. Malolactic fermentation may or may not occur depending on the vintage conditions. Each single lot is fermented separately and blended afterward to achieve complexity. Krug is known for using large proportions of reserve wine in each blend.
Libert-fils
Lilbert makes classic Côte des Blancs champagnes of great purity, finesse and expression
Lilbert owns 3.5 hectare of vines- all Grand Cru, and all Chardonnay, with an average vine age of 45 years- in the Côte des Blancs.
Pierre Peters
Winery location: Cote Des Blancs
Year Established: 1919
Current Head of House: Rodolphe Péters.
Style of the Champagnes are racy, elegant, and mineral driven.
In order to maintain the freshness and elegance of Chardonnay, they choose to ferment exclusively in stainless steel. All wines go through malolactic fermentation. The dosage varies, depending on the wine, though in general falls between 2-6 g/l.
Ruinart
Commune (winery location): Reims
Year Established: 1729
Summary: Ruinart is the oldest Champagne house, having produced sparkling wines on a commercial scale since 1729. Ruinart’s style is largely dependent upon the Chardonnay grape variety, though uniquely, most of their Chardonnay grapes do not come from the Côte des Blancs. Rather, their most important vineyards for Chardonnay lie in northern Reims, around the Grand Crus of Sillery and Verzenay. This lends a richness and broadness to the wines. The Dom Ruinart is a Blanc de Blancs prestige cuvée, comprised of exclusively Grand Cru fruit, from both the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs.
Principal Vineyard Holdings: Approximately 17 ha
Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): 1959 for Dom Ruinart, 1966 for Dom Ruinart Rosé
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: Base wines are fermented in temperature control stainless steel and receive full malolactic fermentation. Dosage ranges from 6.5 g/l for the Dom Ruinart to 9 g/l for the NV Brut.
Ruinart
Commune (winery location): Reims
Year Established: 1729
Summary: Ruinart is the oldest Champagne house, having produced sparkling wines on a commercial scale since 1729. Ruinart’s style is largely dependent upon the Chardonnay grape variety, though uniquely, most of their Chardonnay grapes do not come from the Côte des Blancs. Rather, their most important vineyards for Chardonnay lie in northern Reims, around the Grand Crus of Sillery and Verzenay. This lends a richness and broadness to the wines. The Dom Ruinart is a Blanc de Blancs prestige cuvée, comprised of exclusively Grand Cru fruit, from both the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs.
Principal Vineyard Holdings: Approximately 17 ha
Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): 1959 for Dom Ruinart, 1966 for Dom Ruinart Rosé
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: Base wines are fermented in temperature control stainless steel and receive full malolactic fermentation. Dosage ranges from 6.5 g/l for the Dom Ruinart to 9 g/l for the NV Brut.
Frederic Savart
The family estate was founded by Daniel’s father, René Savart, who purchased his first vines in 1947. Daniel himself took over the winemaking in the 1970s, although production remained extremely small until the mid-1980s, when he significantly expanded the family’s vineyard holdings. Since 2005, Frédéric has been at the helm of the estate,
Today, the Savarts farm four hectares of vines, three in Ecueil and one in the neighboring village of Villiers-aux-Noeuds. Nearly all of it is pinot noir, with just a half-hectare of chardonnay
Most of Savart’s wines are fermented in stainless steel, although he is increasing the use of barriques, which he has been working with since 2004. Malolactic may be carried out or not, depending on the individual wine and the particularities of the vintage. The dosage, which is generally low,
