Champagne / Sparkling Wines Flashcards
Champagne delimited region
34300ha / 15700 growers / 31000 ha under vines
5 areas of champagne
Montagne de Reims
Vallee de la Marne
Cote des blancs
Cote de Sezanne
Cote des Bars (the aube)
Villages / 1st cru / grand cru in Champagne
357 villages / 17 gran cru / 42 premier cru
Oldest champagne house
Gosset (1584 - still wine)
Ruinart ( 1729 - sparkling wine)
Climate of champagne
10C average temperature
Cold Atlantic influenced climate
Extreme vintage variation= blending
Frost, rain, fungal disease, hail are serious issues
Rain often interrupt flowering = bouvreux (second crop, left on the vine)
Soils of champagne
- Belemnite chalk: provides excellent drainage / absorbs heat to protect vines at night / high limestone content = allows roots to dig deeply (high acidity) / derived from millions of fossilised cephalopods
- microcaster chalk = 2nd layer in the valley vineyards
Varieties allowed in champagne
Chardonnay: elegance & longevity
Pinot N : supports wine structure
Meunier: youthful fruitiness , approachability
+ Pinot blanc / Arbane / Pinot Gris / Petit Meslier / Voltis (hybrid)
Yield restriction in champagne
66hl/ha = 2550lt per 4000kg of grapes
(High max yield + limit on extraction)
Montagne de Reims
U shaped hillside / 283 m asl
South / southeast aspect
Limestone + marl soils
Top region = 9 grand cru
Renowned for PN
Vallee de la Marne
Meunier predominant grape = flowers late, ripens early = safe from frost
AY CHAMPAGNE = only grand cru
Epernay = important village
Cote des blancs
95% Chardonnay
6 grand cru
Cote de Sezanne
Chardonnay predominant
No GC or 1st cru
Slightly warmer = softer wines , less fine, high minerality
Cote des Bars (the aube)
Most southerly / warmest region
Kimmeridgian soils = like Chablis
Comprises nearly 25% of champagne vineyards
Mostly Pinot noir (84%)
DRAPPIER = biggest producer
Rose de Riceys AOC= still table wine / 100% Pinot noir
CIVC
Governing body for champagne / enforces AOC regulations
Types of champagne producers
NM = negotiant manipulant = house that purchase grapes or base wine (Moët e chandon, Louis Roederer, Vevue Cliquot, Billecart Salmon, tattinger, pol roger)
RM = recoltant manipulant = grower-producer making champagne from own estate grown grapes
CM= cooperative manipulant = growers cooperative that produce wine under a single brand
RC = recoltant cooperateur = grower that vinifies own grapes at a local cooperative then sells it under his
Own name
SR = societe de recoltants = sold under the name of a company by growers usually related
ND = negociant distributeur = company buys champagne , re brands it and sells it
MA = marque d’Archeteur = a buyers own brand, usually a big supermarket chain or restaurant
Vin de cuvee (champagne)
First press (2050lt)
Vin de taille (champagne)
2nd press (500lt) / richer in pigment and tannins (often sold or included in small portions)
Rebeche (champagne)
3rd press / must comprise the 1-10% of the total / used for distillate
Debourbage
Settling of the juice after pressing in order to allow sediment to settle and be removed by racking prior fermentation
Vin clairs (champagne)
Base wine resulted from primary fermentation / high acid wine / either stainless steel or oak barrel (krug, Bollinger) / approximately 11%
Assemblage
Blending of the clarified base wine with other vintages, grape varietals, growing areas to reach a balanced house style
Liqueur de tirage
Mix of still wine , yeasts , sugar and fining agents it added to the blend and bottled
Prise de Mousse
2nd fermentation in bottle
Every bottle is closed with a crown cap equipped with a BIDULE that will serve to capture the sediment at the end of the riddling
2nd fermentation last for 8 weeks
Alcohol rises approximately 1.2-1.3% abv
Co2 creates a pressure of 6 atmospheres
Autolysis
Breakdown of dead yeast cells that creates sediment (LEES)
Bottles are stored horizontally = SUR LATTE
wine will age on the lees for a min of 13 months for Non Vintage , 3 years for vintage champagne
Remuage
Riddling = the sediment is slowly moved towards the bidule by turning the bottles regularly over a period of 8 weeks
Pupitres
“A” shaped planks of wood used for Remuage
Sur Pointe
Bottles are left upside down for a short period of time prior disgorgement
Recemment Degorge’
Late disgorgement (LD or RD)
Disgorgement methods
A la volee’ = no preparatory steps
A la glacé = frozen neck in -25C brine
Dosage
“Liqueur de expedition”
Bottles are topped up after disgorgement with sweetened wine / percentage of sugar syrup will determine the style of the wine
Style according to liqueur de expedition
Brut Nature = 0-3g/L
Extra brut = 0-6g/L
Brut = 0-12g/L
Extra dry = 12-17g/L
Sec = 17-32g/L
Demi-sec = 32-50g/L
Doux = 50+ g/L
Coteaux champenoise
AOC for still wine in champagne
Marc de champagne
Brandy produced from pips skins and stalks after pressing the grapes for champagne
Ratafia de champagne
VDL made by adding a neutral spirit to unfermented grape juice
Blocage / unblocage
Reserve of base wine from good years stored to be used in poor vintages
Must be approved by CIVC
Best vintages champagne
1990, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008.
Montagne de Reims Grand Cru
Sillery
Puisieulx
Tours-sur-Marne
Ambonnay
Beaumont-Sur-Vesle
Verzenay
Mailly-Champagne
Verzy*
Louvois
Bouzy
Valle’ de la Marne Grand Cru
Ay
Cote de Blancs Grand Cru
Chouilly
Oiry
Cramant
Avize
Oger
Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Champagne top cuvee
Tattinger - Comte
Bollinger - la grande Anne’
Laurent Perrier - la grand siecle
Louis roederer - crystal
Moet & Chandon - Dom Perignon
Ruinart - Dom Ruinart
Billecart salmon - cuvee Francois
Pommery - cuvee Louise
Perrier Jouet - Belle epoque
Krug - clos de mesnil
Charles Heidsick - blanc de millionaires
Pol roger - winston Churchill
Vevue Cliquo - la grande dame
