MS Champagne Flashcards
What is the oldest Champagne house?
Gosset - established in 1584 as a still wine house
Ruinart - established in 1729 as a sparkling house
Who developed the formula for secondary fermentation?
A pharmacist Andre Francois along with Jean-Antoine Chaptal (chaptalization researcher)
Who created the first Brut Champagne, what was it called?
Pommery in 1874, “Nature”
What is special about Champagne labelling?
They are the only appellation that is not required to state AOP/AOC on the label
How & why was the CIVC created?
Formed during Nazi occupation in 1941 by Count Robert-Jean de Vogue of Moet to protect the interest of the Champenois from the Nazis.
Who’s leading the way for English Sparkling wine?
Nyetimber and Ridgeview Estate, both located in Sussex, lead the way
Name some Champagne houses operating in the USA
Roederer Anderson Valley in Mendocino
Taittinger Carneros Napa
Moët et Chandon, Yountville Napa
What are synonyms for Brut Nature?
Non-Dosé, Brut Sauvage, Ultra Brut, Dosage Zéro, Sans Sucre, Pas Dosé
What was the first vintage of Dom Perignon?
1921
What is belemnite chalk?
Derived from cephalopods, long favored due to it being found mostly on the hillsides
What is micraster chalk?
Derived from sea urchins - common in the valley
What is the most dominant soil type in the Aube?
clay
What pruning methods are allowed in Champagne?
Cordon de Royat
Chablis
Valle de la Marne
Guyot (double & single)
What grapes other than the major 3 are permitted in Champagne?
Pinot Blanc Vrai
Arbane
Pinot Gris
Petit Meslier
What is the pressing limit enforced by the CIVC since 1992?
102 L per 160 kg of grapes
2,550 L per 4,000 kg of grapes (size of coquard press)
also called a marc
Name the Grand Cru villages of Montagne de Reims from n-s
Sillery Puisieulx Beaumont-sur-Vesle Verzenay Mailly Verzy (added in 1985) Louvois Bouzy Ambonnay
Name the Grand Cru villages of Valle de la Marne from n-s
Ay
Tours-sur-Marne (red only)
Name the Grand Cru village of Cotes des Blancs from n-s
Chouilly (white only, added in '85) Oiry (added in '85) Cramant Avize Oger (added in '85) Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (added in '85)
What do the terms blocage & deblocage mean?
blocage = the reserve of wine stocks for use in future vintages deblocage = the release
What is a matriculation number?
a number assigned to each producer by the CIVC
What does NM mean on a Champagne label?
Negociant Manipulant
A house that purchases grapes or base wine. They may also own their own vineyards.
What does RM mean on a bottle of Champagne?
Recoltant Manipulant
A grower producer who makes wine from estate fruit. 95% must come from their own vineyards.
What does CM mean?
Coopérative Manipulant
A grower cooperative that produces a wine under one brand
What does RC mean?
Recoltant Cooperateur
A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative but is labeled as their own brand
What does SR mean?
Societe de Recoltants
A firm, not a co-operative, of growers often related who pool their resources to vinify their wines and market them under several brands.
What does ND mean?
Negociant Distributeur
A middleman company that distributes Champagne that they did not make
What does MA mean?
Marque d’Acheteur
A “buyers own brand”. A chain supermarket or restaurant buys Champagne and sells it as their own brand.
What is vin de cuvee?
The first 2,050 litres pressed from a marc (4,000 kg)
What is the the vin de taille?
The last 500 litres pressed from the marc
What is rebeche?
The third pressing of the marc and is required by law. It must comprise 1-10% of the total and is used for distillate.
What is debourbage?
The settling of juice at a cool temperature to allow solids (bourbes) to seperate.
What is prise de mousse?
secondary fermentation
What is a bidule?
a plastic capsule attached to the crown cap during secondary fermentation that is designed to catch sediment during the remuage process
What is the RS of Extra Brut?
0-6 g/l
What is the RS of Brut?
0-12 g/l
What is the RS of Extra Dry?
12-17 g/l
What is the RS of Sec?
17-32 g/l
What is the RS of Demi-Sec?
32-50 g/l
What is the RS of Doux?
50+ g/l
What is a muselet?
the wire cage that secures the cork
What is the min. aging for NV Champagne?
15 months
What is the min. aging for vintage Champagne?
36 months
When is the Transvasage method allowed for Champagne production?
For bottle sizes larger than a Jeroboam and smaller than a half-bottle
For bottle sizes larger than a Jeroboam and smaller than a half-bottle
Michael Jackson Makes Small Boys Nervous Sick! They increase by 3 L (4 bottles) after Jeroboam.
How many bottles are in a Nebuchadnezzar?
15 L
20 bottles
Many of the producers that now bottle under this label were once well-known Cava brands. Gramona, Recaredo, Llopart, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca, and Torelló are founding members and three other producers joined in 2018. In 2019, the Consejo Regulador refused to allow this label to appear on any DO Cava wine and insisted that producers abandon all promotion of the name. In response, this group of producers chose to formally leave DO Cava and now exclusively produce under the category.
Corpinnat (heart of penedes)
What was the first vintage of Clos de Goisses? “The original mono cru”
1935
How many bottles in a Balthazar?
12 L
16 bottles
How many bottles in a Rehoboam?
this bottle size was discontinued in 1989.
4.5 L
6 bottles
What is Club Tresor and what are it’s guidelines?
Special Club that originated in 1971
All members are RM
Estate bottled & vintage dated
Identical labels & bottle
What style of wine is made for Rose de Riceys?
Rose from 100% PN from Riceys in the Aube
What style of wine is Coteaux Champenois?
Still red, white & rose from anywhere in the appellation. Bouzy Rouge is this. Bollinger makes one.
What does Bollinger’s “RD” mean?
“Récemment Dégorgé”is keptsur pointefor a number of years, and only disgorged upon order.
What is the max pressing volume for Cremant?
2,666 L per 4,000 kg
Name the Cremant AOPs (8)
Cremant de Loire Cremant de Bordeaux Cremant de Bourgogne Cremant de Limoux Cremant d'Alsace Cremant du Jura Cremant de Die Cremant de Savoie
What is methode rurale?
also know as methode ancestrale
single fermentation that starts in tank and ends in bottle. often degorged and filtered before sale - no dosage allowed.
Give 3 examples or methode ancestrale wines
Bugey Cerdon
Clairette de Die Dioise Ancestrale
Gaillac Mousseux Methode Gaillacoise
What is cuve close?
The tank or Charmat method
Who invented the Charmat method?
Eugene Charmat in the early 20th century
What is the continuous method?
Developed in Russia. A series of tanks are connected and the wine is pumped through the circuit with tirage added continuously resulting in lees collecting and offering some autolytic character
Name 5 single vineyard Champagnes.
Clos St. Hilaire - Billecart Clos du Moulin - Cattier Grand Sendree - Drappier Clos des Plantes de Chenes - Jose Michel Clos Notre Dame - Veuve Fourny Clos Cazals - Claude Cazals Clos de Bouveries - Duval-Leroy
Name the 3 single vineyard Champagnes of Moet
Les Vignes de Saran - CH
Les Champs de Romont - PM
Les Sarments d’Ay - PN
Who makes Ace of Spades?
Armand de Breignac
Who makes Vielles Vignes Francaises?
Bollinger
Who makes Nec Plus Ultra?
Bruno Paillard
Who makes Blanc de Millenaires?
Heidsieck
Who makes Origines?
Delbeck
What is Deutz’s tete de cuvee?
Cuvee William Deutz
Amour de Deutz - ‘93 on
Who makes Fleur de Passion?
Diebolt-Vallois
Who makes Celebris?
Gosset
Gosset
Cuvee Femme - ‘90 on
Cuvee de Roys - until ‘91
Who makes Cuvee Laetitia?
Henri Billiot
What is Henriot’s tete?
Cuvee des Enchanteleurs
Who makes Cuvee Nominee?
Jacquart
Who makes Terres de Noel?
Jean Milan
Who makes Noble Cuvee?
Lanson
Mumm’s tete?
Cuvee Rene Lalou - not produced from ‘86-‘97
Who makes Comtesse Marie de France?
Paul Bara
Who makes Cuvee Regence?
Paul Gobillard
What is Piper-Heidsiecks tete?
Rare - ‘76 on Cuvee Florens-Louis - until ‘75
Who makes Cuvee Louise?
Pommery
Who makes Coeur de Cuvee?
Vilmart
Name 3 Special Club producers
Gaston Chiquet
Paul Bara
Pierre Gimmonet
What is special about Rose Champagne AOP?
It is the only AOP wine allowed to blend red & white wine as a rose method. The rest must saignee.
What does Veuve mean in French?
widow
Why was Champagne production controlled by the Grand Marques for so long?
The growers couldn’t afford the expensive process of production
Who produced the first brut Champagne?
Pommery “Nature” in 1874
When was the Champagne region demarcated?
1908
When did phylloxera hit Champagne?
1890’s
What is special about the 1914 vintage?
It was the year the Germans marched into Reims and endured bombing after bombing. The women, children & elderly harvested in all the turmoil and made one of the best vintages of the century.
Who makes La Cote aux Enfants?
Bollinger’s Coteaux Champenoise red made from a south facing slope in Ay. Considered one of the best.
Name 3 still wine producers of Bouzy
Paul Bara
Georges Vesselle
Andre Clouet
Name 3 still wine producers in Ay
Bollinger
Gosset-Brabant
Gatinois
What is Ratafia?
A VDL (mistelle) that is often aged in oak to take on a sherry like quality. Fortified to 20% abv. Vilmart makes a great one.
What is MCR?
Mout concentre et rectifie - concentrated and rectified grape must increasingly preferred by small growers for dosage instead of liqueur d’expedition
What is ‘lutte raisonnee’?
‘reasoned struggle’ - indicates a compromised middle path in regards to the approach of viticulture. Indicates the intent of organic viticulture but reserves the right to utilize chemical treatments in times of dire need.
What does ‘tirage’ mean?
refers to drawing off the blended wines into bottles ready for a second alcoholic fermentation. Called the prise de mousse (literally ‘capturing the froth’),
What is ‘vin clair’?
still wine from first fermentation
What is ‘agrafe’?
means ‘staple’ - refers to the large clip used to secure the cork before crown caps were used.
What is ‘bague carre’?
a square lip on the mouth of the bottle. Indicates the Champagne was bottled with cork and an agrafe for 2nd fermentation
What is ‘bague couronne’?
a thin rounded lip on the mouth of the bottle indicating a crown cap used for 2nd fermentation
Name the 1er crus of the Cote de Bars
1 only!
Bergeres
Name the 1er crus in Valle de la Marne.
Bisseuil Champillon Cumieres Dizy Hautvillers Mareuil-sur-Ay - 99% Mutigny Tours-sur-Marne
Name the 1er crus in the Cote de Blancs
Bergeres-les-Vertus Chouilly Cuis Etrechy Grauves Pierry Vertus Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny Voipreux Name the important 1er cru villages of Montagne de Reims Chigny-les-Roses Ecueil Ludes Montbre Rilly-la-Montagne Taissy Tauxieres-Mutry - 99% Vrigny
Which 2 1er crus are ranked 99%?
Tauxieres-Mutry - Montagne de Reims
Mareuil-sur-Ay - Valle de la Marne
Name all the blanc de blancs cuvees by Anselme Selosse
Initial Version Originale Millesime Substance Exquise
Style of Initial
3 successive vintages of CH from Avize, Cramant & Oger
aged 2 yrs before degorgement
Style of Version Originale
3 successive vintages of CH from Avize, Cramant & Oger
aged 5 yrs before degorgement
little to no dosage
Style of Millesime
single year
Avize CH
9 yrs bottle aging
Style of Substance
all Avize fruit
made from a solera started in 1987
each year 22% is withdrawn from solera
5-6 yrs bottle aging
Style of Exquise
higher dosage - up to 24 g/l
estate CH
3 yrs bottle aging
Name the blanc de noirs of Anselme Selosse
Contraste
Style of Contraste
PN from Ay
5 yrs bottle aging
Style of Selosse Rose
2 vintages of Avize CH blended with PN from Ambonnay
5 yrs bottle aging before degorgement
First vintage of Selosse
1960
What is the typical barrel size used in Champagne?
205 L
What lieux dit cuvees does Anselme Selosse make?
Sous le Mont - Mareuil sur Ay (shares same hill as Clos de Goisses)
Le Bout de Clos - Ambonnay
Les Carelles - Mesnil sur Oger
Champagne varieties
— Chardonnay (W): for finesse elegance and longevity,, 31% of plantings
— Pinot Noir (B): for structure, richness and body 38% of plantings
— Meunier (B): for fruit character, youthful fruitiness and approachability 31% of plantings
liqueur de tirage
A mixture of still wine, yeasts, sugar, and fining agents that will serve to ignite the second fermentation.
autolysis (Sur-lie aging)
A process that occurs towards the end of 2nd fermentation when yeast cells die & begin to decompose: releases compounds that create toasty, nutty flavors in the wine.
Riddling or remuage
The gradual movement of expired yeast cells to the neck of the bottle. Once by hand, now largely by machines — Pupitre vs. gyropalette
dégorgement
A liquid mixture of sugar syrup and wine also called dosage added to wines after they are fully fermented to total dryness
Liqueur d’expédition
A liquid mixture of sugar syrup and wine also called dosage added to wines after they are fully fermented to total dryness
Champagne Styles (7)
- Non-vintage (NV)
- Vintage
- Rosé
- Blanc de Blancs
- Blanc de Noirs
- Single vineyard (Clos)
- Cuvée de Prestige/Tête de Cuvée
Dryness/Sweetness Levels From Dry to Sweet.
- Brut Zero: Bone Dry
- Brut: Dry
- Extra Dry: Off-Dry
- Sec: Semi-Sweet
- Demi Sec: Sweet
- Doux: Very Sweet
Champagne Bottle Sizes
- Quarter Bottle (Piccolo) 187 ml
- Half Bottle (Demi) 375 ml
- Bottle 750 ml
- Magnum 1.5 L (2 bottles)
- Jeroboam 3 L (4 bottles)
- Rehoboam (discontinued in 1989) 4.5 L (6 bottles)
- Methuselah 6 L (8 bottles)
- Salmanazar 9 L (12 bottles)
- Balthazar 12 L (16 bottles)
- Nebuchadnezzar 15 L (20 bottles)
- Solomon 18 L (24 bottles)
- Primat: 27 L (36 bottles)
Frizzante
Generic term for semi-sparkling (Italy).
Spumante
Generic term for fully sparkling (Italy). Pressure is a minimum 3 bars at 20˚C
Pétillant
semi-sparkling (France)
Under her leadership, the house pioneered the process of remuage, or riddling—a procedure that allows sediment to be easily removed from a bottle during dégorgement (disgorgement)
Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the Veuve (“widow”) Clicquot
bouvreux
Rain interrupts flowering, resulting in a “second crop” that rarely ripens and is left on the vine.
Many of the major commercial houses of Champagne are located in the city of ________ and the smaller towns of Épernay and Aÿ
Reims
Average vine age hovers around __________, as the lowered productivity of old vines is undesirable to most houses in Champagne.
20 years
How many bottles does a pupitre hold?
60 bottles on each plank for a total of 120
How many cases does a gyropallete hold?
42 cases or 504 bottles
What DOCGs produce the best traditional method sparkling wines?
Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico. (Lombardy)
Prosecco Superiore
These wines must be spumante (minimum 3.5 bars) and can only be made in brut, extra dry, and dry styles.
Prosecco Rifermentazione in bottiglia
For these wines, the second fermentation happens in the bottle, in contrast to using the Charmat method.
Prosecco Col Fondo
A version of the above style in which yeast remains in the bottle. This is an old-school style only occasionally seen today
What 5 départements are included in the Champagne AOP?
Aube, Aisne, Marne, Haute-Marne, Seine-et-Marne
Wha is the min. potential alcohol and max. sugar in Champagne base wines?
Minimum Potential Alcohol: 9%
Maximum Residual Sugar: 10 g/l
What is the Max. amount of a year’s harvest that may be sold as vintage Champagne
80%
Vintage-dated wines must contain what percentage of a stated vintage
100%
What is the required élevage for NV and V Champagne?
NV wines: Min. 15 months from date of tirage
Vintage Wines: Min. 36 months from date of tirage
Planting density in champagne
max. 2.5 square meters per vine
How many Communes of Production are there in Champagne?
319 villages
What are the grapes or Cremánt du Jura?
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Trousseau, Chardonnay, Savagnin
