Champagne Producers Flashcards
Krug was established when and where are they located?
1843 and Reims
Summary of Krug
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.
Top wines produced by Krug
Top Wines Produced / Blends
Grand Cuvée Brut NV
Brut Vintage
Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage
Clos d’Ambonnay Blanc de Noirs Brut Vintage
Principal holdings and average total production for Krug
Principal Vineyard Holdings: Approximately 20 ha
Average Total Production: Approximately 50,000 cases
Inaugural vintage on “Clos du Mesnil” and “Clos d’Ambonnay” for Krug
1979 for Clos du Mesnil
1995 for Clos d’Ambonnay
Description of style and technique for Krug
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.
Salon was established in what year and where are they located?
1905 and Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger
Summary of Salon
Summary: This Champagne house was the creation of Eugène Aimé Salon, a self-made businessman, politician and gourmand. In 1905 he purchased a one hectare vineyard in Le-Mesnil-Sur-Oger making wines for himself and his Parisian lunch club. Salon states that the first vintage was 1905, released in 1911, but these wines were enjoyed privately and not available commercially. The first commercial vintage of Salon was the 1921 vintage. Aimé Salon made the wines until his death in 1943 and left the winery to his nephew.
It is considered to be the first blanc de blancs Champagne.
Salon
In 1988 the winery was purchased by Laurent-Perrier. Today it is run side-by-side with Champagne Delamotte, the fifth-oldest winery in Champagne. ______ is a Négociant Manipulant.
What Champagne house is this?
Salon
Average Total Production for Salon
approximately 4,500 cases.
Style/vinification method for Salon
Style / Vinification Techniques: There is only one wine made. It comes from the original vineyard purchased by Aimé Salon, and a few other parcels in Le-Mesnil. The wines are always vintage and always 100% Chardonnay and aged ten years on its lees before release. The Salon wines are known for their great capacity to age and are highly sought after by collectors and sommeliers alike.
Egly-Ouriet was established in what year and where are they located?
1950’s and Ambonnay
How to pronounce Egly-Ouriet
egg-lee oo-ree-ay
Summary of Elgy-Ouriet
Summary: The Egly-Ouriet family has been farming grapes in Champagne for a long time, but did not begin making any of their own wines until the 1950’s. In fact, it was not until 1982 that they even began using all of their grapes for their own production. The house style is powerful and intense, resulting from low yields, old vines, and riper grapes at harvest. The wines are Pinot Noir dominant with the general breakdown of estate plantings ranging from 70% Pinot Noir to 30% Chardonnay. They do have 2 ha of Meunier vines in Vrigny, which go into a 100% varietal blanc de noir bottling, Vignes de Vrigny.
Top wines from Elgy-Ouriet
Top Wines Produced / Blends
Tradition Brut Grand Cru NV
V.P. Extra Brut Grand Cru NV
Les Vignes de Vrigny Brut Premier Cru NV
Blanc de Noirs Brut Grand Cru Vintage
Brief description of style/vinification technique for Elgy-Ouriet
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: Base wines are fermented in oak barrique for 8 to 10 months. Depending on vintage conditions, the wines may or may not be put through malolactic fermentation. The minimum ageing on the lees lasts three years.
What year was Pierre Péters established and where are they located?
1919 and Les Mesnil-sur-Oger
Summary of Pierre Peters
Summary: Pierre Péters is a grower-producer located in the Cote de Blancs, and their reputation is founded upon their classic & sleek blanc de blancs Champagnes. Currently in its sixth generation, the estate is run by Rodolphe Péters, grandson of Pierre. The majority of their vineyards are located in Les Mesnil-sur-Oger, and the vintage Champagnes rely heavily on fruit from this vineyard. Their other vineyards are in the Grand Crus of Avize, Oger, and Cramant. They aim to showcase the subtleties of terroir in their wines and thus chose to farm sustainably and ferment in stainless steel. The Champagnes are considered racy, elegant, and mineral driven.
Top wines from Pierre Peters
Top Wines Produced / Blends
Cuvée de Réserve Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut Vintage
Cuvée Spéciale les Chetillons Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage
Rosé for Albane Brut Vintage
Inaugural vintage for “Cuvee Speciale” and “Rose for Albane” by Pierre Peters
1971 for Cuvée Spéciale, 2009 for Rosé for Albane
Description of the style/vinification technique by Pierre Peters.
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: In order to maintain the freshness and elegance of Chardonnay, they chose 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.
Vilmart & Cie. was established when and where
1890 and Rilly la Montagne
Summary of Vilamart & Cie.
Summary: Nearly all of Vilmart’s vineyards are located in the premier cru village of Rilly, in Montagne de Reims. The vineyards are planted with 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir and are farmed organically. From the beginning, they have only made wines from estate owned vineyards. Vine age ranges from 35 to 50+ years, and they are known for their extremely low yields, resulting in powerful wines. Every bit of their production spends time in oak, though the size and age of the casks vary depending on the wine. The NV wines spend 3-4 years on the lees while the vintage wines spend 5-7 years on their lees.
Top Wines Produced
Grand Cellier NV Cuvée Rubis NV Grand Cellier Rubis Vintage Grand Cellier d’Or Vintage Coeur de Cuvée Vintage Ratafia
Top wines from Vilamart & Cie
Brief description of style/vinification technique for Vilamart.
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: All base wines are aged in oak for a minimum of ten months.
Jacques Selosse was established in what year and where are they located?
1960 and Avise
Summary of Jacques Selosse
Summary: Jacques Selosse founded the estate in the 1950s and bottled his first vintage in 1960. His son, Anselme, took over as winemaker in 1980 after attending the Lycée Viticole de Beaune. Upon taking over, he reduced yields in the vineyards and began to move towards organic viticulture. Selosse in a proponent of oxidative production and low-dosage. His top wine, Substance, is created out of a Solera of twelve different vintages. Selosse was named best winemaker of the year by Gault-Millau in 1994. In the spring of 2013 burglars stole 300 cases of Champagne from Selosse’s cellars, worth nearly $350,000. Interestingly they took 16,000 front labels, 12,000 neck labels, and 2,500 caps, which leads to the conclusion that they were also planning on counterfeiting the Selosse wines as well. Selosse is a Recoltant Manipulant.
In the spring of 2013, what Champagne producer had their cellar robbed of wine and winemaking equipment?
In the spring of 2013 burglars stole 300 cases of Champagne from Selosse’s cellars, worth nearly $350,000. Interestingly they took 16,000 front labels, 12,000 neck labels, and 2,500 caps, which leads to the conclusion that they were also planning on counterfeiting the Selosse wines as well. Selosse is a Recoltant Manipulant.
Principal vineyard holdings for Jacques Selosse are located where?
Principal Vineyard Holdings: 15 ha total. The majority being 4 ha in Avize, and parcels in Oger and Cramant. More recent acquirements were in Ay, Ambonnay, and Mareuil.
Substance, Grand Cru
Initiale, Grand Cru
Champagne Extra Brut, “Version Originale”
Les Carelles, Le-Mesnil-Sur-Oger
Exquise, Demi-Sec
La Côte Faron, (used to be Contraste), single vineyard in Aÿ.
Who is the producer?
Jacques Selosse
Inaugural vintage for “Substance” and “Les Carelles” by Jacques Selosse
Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): The Solera for Substance was started in 1987. The Solera for Les Carelles was started in 2010.
Style / Vinification Techniques: ______ has some of the lowest yields in Champagne. Fermentation comes from all ambient yeast. He ferments the base wines in a mix of pieces (228 L), Fût (400L), and Demi-Muids (600L). Malolactic is free to occur naturally but does not always occur. The base wine is aged for 12 months in barrel; typically less than 20% are new. He uses a low dosage for most of his wines, save for the Exquise which has a dosage of 24 g/l. All of his other wines are between 0-5 g/l dosage.
Who is this Champagne producer?
Jacques Selosse
Pierre Gimonnet was established in what year and where are they located?
1935 and Cuis (Cote de Blanc)
Summary of Pierre Gimonnet
Summary: Gimonnet is a well regarded grower-producer located in the Premier Cru village of Cuis. In addition to their vineyards in Cuis, the family also owns property in Vertus, Chouilly, Cramant, and Oger, as well as a small Pinot Noir plot in Aÿ and Marieul-sur-Aÿ. They have old vines averaging 35 years of age, somewhat of an anomaly to the area. All of the Blanc de Blanc wines are blends of the various villages, and Gimonnet, though they have Grand Cru holdings, prefers a blend across vineyards. All wines are fermented in stainless steel in order to preserve the freshness of the Chardonnay grape variety.
Top Wines Produced / Blends
Cuis Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Gastronome Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage
Fleuron Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage
Oenophile Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Vintage
Paradoxe Brut Vintage
Special Club Vintage
Who is the producer?
Pierre Gimonnet
Style/vinification technique for Pierre Gimmonet
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: All base wines are fermented in stainless steel in order to preserve the freshness of the Chardonnay grape variety. Wines generally receive a low dosage for their Brut designation.
Ruinart was established in what year and where
1729 and Reims
Summary of Ruinart
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 Cote de 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 Cote de Blancs.
Top wines from Ruinart
Top Wines Produced / Blends
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV Brut NV (sold in EU market) Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage Dom Ruinart Rosé Brut Vintage
Inaugural vintage for Dom Ruinart and Dom Ruinart Rose
1959 for Dom Ruinart, 1966 for Dom Ruinart Rosé
Describe the style/vinification technique for Ruinart
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.
Pol Roger was established in what year and where are they established?
1849 and Epernay
Summary: ______ was founded by its namesake in 1849 when he was only 18 years old and is a rarity in the world of larger Champagne firms in that it is still family owned and operated. Furthermore, they own a large portion of their own vineyards (50%) and the other half of their grapes are sourced from premier cru and grand cru vineyards exclusively.
What producer is this?
Pol Roger
Total production for Pol Roger
Approximately 141,000 cases
Brut Réserve NV Pure Extra Brut NV Vintage Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage Brut Vintage Brut Rosé Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Brut Vintage
Pol Roger
Inaugural vintage for Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill
Inaugural Vintage: 1975 for Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
Billecart-Salmon was established in what year and where are they located?
1818 and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ (Vallée de la Marne)
Summary of Billecart-Salmon
Summary: Billecart-Salmon is currently run by the seventh generation of the Billecart family since its inception in 1811. The house style is elegant, driven by the philosophy to harvest higher acid, lower alcohol grapes. The majority of the vineyard holdings are in the Marne Valley in Damery, Aÿ, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Four hectares are located in the Côte des Blancs, all in grand cru vineyards. Their blends are red fruit dominant, driven by Pinot Noir and Meunier, though they do make a NV and vintage blanc de blancs, all from their grand cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs.
Average total production for Billecart-Salmon
Approximately 141,000 cases
Brut Reserve NV
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Cuvée Nicolas François Brut Vintage
Clos Saint-Hilaire Brut Vintage
Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé Brut VintageTop Wines by Billecart-Salmon
Inaugural vintage for Nicolas Francois, Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Rose, and Clos Saint-Hilaire by Billecart-Salmon
1955 for Nicolas François,
1988 for Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé,
1995 for Clos Saint-Hilaire
Summary of Billecart-Salmon
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: Depending on the cuvée, base wines may be fermented in oak or stainless steel. Those that are fermented in oak do not go through malolactic fermentation. Wines are fermented slowly and at cool temperatures to preserve freshness, and are aged on their lees for four to five months before the bottle fermentation.
Jacquesson was established in what year and where are they located?
1798 and in Dizy (Vallee de Marne)
Summary of Jacquesson
Summary: Since 1974, the house has been owned by the Chiquet family, though originally it was based in Reims. The house has always been well regarded, though quality has improved since the Chiquet purchase. They are currently making a large statement by bottling 4 different single vineyard wines, as well as crafting their basic NV cuvée to be more representative of the vintage in which the base grapes originated. Since 2000, these NV wines have been labeled by bin number, starting with 728.
Total production for Jacquesson
Approximately 29,000 cases
Cuvée 7-- Brut NV
Corne Bautray Extra Brut Vintage
Champs Caïn Extra Brut Vintage
Vauzelle Terme Extra Brut Vintage
Terres Rouges Extra Brut Rosé VintageTop wines from Jacquesson
Inaugural vintage for “Bin series,” “Vauzelle Terme” and “Corne Bautray” by Jacquesson
2000 for bin series,
1996 for Vauzelle Terme
1995 for Corne Bautray
What is style/vinification technique for Jacquesson?
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques: The majority of the wines are fermented in large oak foudre, for structure and aromatics. All wines go through malolactic fermentation, and there is a period of lees aging lasting about four months before the secondary fermentation takes place in bottle. Across the board, they are known for using very low dosages.
When was Bollinger established and where are they located?
1829 and Aÿ, Vallée de la Marne
Summary of Bollinger
Summary: The story of Bollinger is the story of three families: the Bollinger, the Renaudin, and the de Villermont. The Comte de Villermont was an aristocrat who owned vineyards in Aÿ but because of his status, he could not make wine from his land. He met Joseph Bollinger, a German, and Paul Renaudin, who both were interested in the wine trade. They started the winery on February 6th, 1829. Joseph went on to marry de Villermont’s daughter, and Renaudin left the winery, leaving the firm in the Bollinger family. The current winery building was originally a de Villermont property. In 1865 Bollinger shipped a “drier” Champagne to England and in 1870 to the United States. During World War II the firm was run by the widow Madame Lily Bollinger.
Who runs Bollinger today
Today Jérôme Philipon is the first non-family member to run the firm, taking charge in 2008. Gilles Descôtes is now Chef de Cave.
Principle vineyard holdings for Bollinger
160 ha. 64% of which are Grand Cru and Premier Cru. This includes their two vineyards Clos St. Jacques and Chaudes Terres in Aÿ, which have never succumbed to Phylloxera and are trained en provignage. The fruit from these two vineyards go into the rare “Vieilles Vignes Françaises.” They also have the 4-ha Côte aux Enfants Pinot Noir vineyard in Aÿ, from which they produce a Coteaux Champenoise AOC wine and red base wines for rosé Champagne.
Total production for Bollinger
approximately 210,000 cases
