France - Champagne Flashcards
SR (Société de Récoltants)
A firm, not a co-operative, set up by a union of often related growers, who share resources to make their wines and collectively market several brands.
Permitted methods of dégorgement in Champagne.
Dégorgement à la glace - the sur pointe bottle neck is placed in a shallow freezing solution. The sediment plug is semi-frozen to the point that the bottle may be inverted before the plug is expelled. The pressure from the CO2 in the wine propels the sediment plug out of the bottle, but the freezing temperature of the plug subdues the internal pressure enough that there is little loss of the wine.
Dégorgement à la volée - the bottle, in the upside down vertical (sur pointe) position with sediment in the neck, was manually uncapped and quickly inverted to allow the sediment plug to be expelled, trying to minimize the loss of wine.
Vin de Taille
The 500L extracted following the Vin de Cuvee. Richer in pigment and tannin, frequently sold off. Sometimes a small portion is used to add structure.
Perrier-Jouët tête de cuvée
Belle Époque
Fleur de Champagne for the US market
Vin de Cuvee
The first 2050L extracted from 4000 Kg of grapes
ND (Négociant Distributeur)
A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make.
Tête de Cuvée
The finest and most expensive bottling that a Champagne house offers, the prestige cuvée is typically (but not always) vintage-dated and aged for a number of years prior to release.
Pol Roger tête de cuvée
Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
Laurent-Perrier tête de cuvée
Grande Siècle
NM (Négociant Manipulant)
A house that purchases grapes and or base wines from growers and other smaller houses.
Some NM houses own a significant portion of their own vineyards; others own none at all.
Large Champagne houses with the most international presence are invariably in this category. Quality varies widely, although prices are uniformly high.
Maximum percentage of a current harvest that may be sold as vintage Champagne.
80%
Côte des Blancs primary varietal
Chardonnay
Champagne districts (5)
Montagne de Reims
Vallée de la Marne
Côte des Blancs
Côte de Sézanne
Côte des Bars (the Aube)
CM (Coopérative Manipulant)
A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand
Rebêche
The remaining juice extracted after the 2550 liters (2050 L Vin de Cuvee; 500 L Vin de Taille).
Rebeche must be either distilled by Dec 15th following the harvest and is often used to make ratafia. It can also be used in vinegar production.
RC (Récoltant Coopérateur)
A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but sells the wine under his own label
Moët et Chandon tête de cuvée
Dom Pérignon
Minimum percentage of grapes from stated vintage in a vintage Champagne
100%
Élevage in Champagne
- Non-vintage
- Vintage
- Prestige Cuvee
NV: 15 months minimum, starting at the date of triage
V: 36 months minimum, starting at the date of triage
PC: no requirement, most houses usually age 4-10 years.
Champagne Grapes
- Non-vintage
- Vintage
- Prestige Cuvee
NV: Pinot Meunier is almost always included in the blend with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
V: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Pinot Meunier sometimes used in the blend.
PC: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Pinot Meunieur rarely included in the blend.
Assemblage - Champagne
- Non-vintage
- Vintage
- Prestige Cuvee
NV: Dozens, sometimes hundreds of still wines used.
V: Dozens of still wines used from a single growth year.
PC: A blend of only the best wines from the best vineyards.
What two regions are home to all 17 Grand Cru villages in Champagne?
Montagne de Reim
Cotes des Blancs
A single-vineyard Champagne first produced in 1935
Philipponnat’s Clos de Goisses, also their tête de cuvée
Montagne de Reims primary varietal
Pinot Noir
