Champagne styles

Question 1

Champagne styles

Non-Vintage / NV

Answer 1

• Blended from a number of vintages
• Usually follows a set house style
• Blending of different parcels of base wine with some earlier vintages can smooth out vintage variation

Question 2

Champagne styles

Vintage / Millesimé

Answer 2

• By law, 100% of wine must come form the year indicated
• Teoretically only produced from the best vintages (depending on the level of rating of producers)
• 2002 and 2008 almost univerally declared
• Still reflect the house style but showing the characteristics of the vintage

Question 3

Champagne styles

Rosé

Answer 3

• Usually made by blending (Rosé d’assemblage)
• Skin maceration is also permitted (wine is “bled off = drawn off the skins) = Rosé de saigneé

Question 4

Champagne styles

Blanc de Blancs

Answer 4

• Only white grapes
• Can be leaner and more austere in youth
• Often have unmatched ageing potential

Question 5

Champagne styles

Blanc de Noirs

Answer 5

• White wine made from black grapes only
• fuller in body than BdB
• Generally thought to age more rapidly than BdB

Question 6

Champagne styles

Gran Cru

Answer 6

• All ther grapes must have been grown within the vineyards belonging to gran cru villages
• Term is often mentioned on the label as a quality statement

In Champagne Grand Cru is appointed to a village rather than a vineyard like in Burgundy. Hence there can be different quality withing the wines of a particular Grand Cru

Question 7

in Champagne

Premier Cru

Answer 7

• All ther grapes must have been grown within the vineyards belonging to the premier cru and/or gran cru villages
• Term is often mentioned on the label as a quality statement

Question 8

Champagne styles

Prestige Cuvée

Answer 8

• Usually the top wine in a Champagne producer’s range
• Some houses (Krug) specialise in making a range of prestige cuvée
• Can be Vintage or NV

Question 9

Champagne styles

Late Release / Recently Disgorged

Answer 9

• Wines that have seen extended ageing on Lees and are disgorged just before release
• vready to be consummed immediately
• Different profile than wines from the same vintage disgorged earlier
• Initially more youthful
• Age more rapidly than standard vintage wines (impact of disgorgment is greater in older wine)
• E.g: Dom Perignon P2 / Bollinger RD

Question 10

Champagne styles

Coteaux Champenois

Answer 10

• Still wine appellation
• White, Red and Rosé wines
• Mostly light-bodied, high acidity, pale Pinot Noir

Question 11

Champagne styles

AOC Rosé de Riceys

Answer 11

• Still rosé appellation in Côte de Bar