Crash Course Facts/Regional Styles

Question 1

Blanc de blanc

Answer 1

white from white typically 100% chardonnay. Côtes de Blancs top producing champagne region for blanc de blancs. Flavours typically lightest of chardonnays, crisp, fresh, elegant and mineral driven, green apple, pear lemon, meringue, grapefruit, and brioche. Higher acid sparkling due to Chardonnay. Great with oysters, cheese, and other creamy fatty foods. Older vintages will carry more body and weight. Non vintage will be lights and easiest drinking.

Question 2

Blanc de noir

Answer 2

white from red typically Pinot Noir heavy but also will see pinot meaner. Montagne de reims heavy with Pinot Noir. Fuller bodied Pinot Noir can hold up do richer foods ex duck. Flavors red fruit and freshness from pinot meaner and citrus punch from Pinot Noir. Less punchy than blanc de blanc a bit more elegance apple, lemon, honey, peach, cranberry.

Question 3

epernay

Answer 3

making champagne since the 18th century. chalky soil leading to elegant expressions of champagne. center of champagne wine regions expending south.

Question 4

côte de blancs

Answer 4

The Côte des Blancs is one of the gems of the Champagne vineyard, running from northeast to southwest and lying perpendicular to the Marne Valley. Located a few kilometers from Epernay, its slopes and mounds skirt Champagne’s Brie plateau over a distance of 10-15km.

As its name suggests, the Côte des Blancs is an exclusively white appellation, with the Chardonnay planted as a stand-alone varietal, except in Vertus, in the extreme south, where its supremacy is challenged by the Pinot Noir.
The chalk-covered ridge of la Côte des Blancs is where the Chardonnay finds its finest expression, source of that famous Blanc de Blancs

Question 5

marne valley

Answer 5

north of epernay and cote de blanc. Located on freer banks of Marne Sith more divers soils. Home to two grand crus

Question 6

côte des bar

Answer 6

The Côte des Bar is located in the southern part of the Champagne production area, characterised by Jurassic slopes overlying Kimmeridgian limestone bedrock. Crisscrossed by small lush valleys that connect with those of the Seine and Aube, the Côte des Bars encompasses a patchwork of vineyards with as many different exposures. The predominant planting is the Pinot Noir. Region know for wines with an uncharacteristic lightness.

Question 7

aube

Question 8

oeuilly

Question 9

“Brut nature” or “Zero/No Dosage”

Answer 9

0 dosage and and <3g sugar/liter

Question 10

Extra Brut

Answer 10

0-6g sugar/liter

Question 11

Brut (most common style)

Answer 11

<12g sugar/liter

Question 12

Extra Dry/Off-Dry

Answer 12

12-17g sugar/liter

Question 13

valle de la marne

Question 14

montagne de reims