Producers

Question 1

Bouzy producers

Answer 1

Benoit Lahaye
Pierre Paillard
Paul Bara

Question 2

Ambonnay producers

Answer 2

Egly Ouriet
Marie Noelle Ledru
Eric Rodez (mayor of Ambonnay)
Benoit Marguet
Andre Clouet

Question 3

Name two producers to make bottlings from the Les Crayères parcel.

Answer 3

Egly Ouriet-100% PN; powerful and bold
Marguet-70% Chard and 30% PN; Linear and supple

**both demonstrate a similarly intense chalkiness and soil-driven complexity.

Question 4

Verzy producers

Answer 4

Mouzon-Leroux-biodynamic, 100% Vlasserzy grapes.

Penet-Chardonnet- Verzy and Verzenay

Question 5

Verzenay producers

Answer 5

Hugues Godmè “eww-g GOD-me”

**Verzenay and Verzy form the backbone of Roederer’s vintage champagne and Cristal

Question 6

Name three producers making wine in the Petite Montagne with Meunier

Answer 6

Emmanuel Brochet (in Le Mont Benoit)
Egly Ouriet (in Vrigny with Les Vignes de Vrigny)
Jérôme Prévost (in Gueux “go” with Les Bèguines “la be-GIN”; hard g)

Question 7

Name three notable producers/vineyards on the eastern side of Mareuil-sur-Ay.

Answer 7

—Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses
—Jean-Paul Hèbrart of Marc Hèbrart has parcels used to make his Spècial Club
—Anselme Selosse’s single-vineyard Sous le Mont (marked by a characteristic bitterness from the high magnesium in the dolomite bedrock)

Question 8

Name two notable producers/vineyards on the western side of Mareuil-sur-Ay.

Answer 8

—Fabrice Pouillon’s Les Blanchiens- savory, spicy; reflects the richness of the site’s deep clay.
—Billecart-Salmon’s Clos Saint-Hilaire (parcel lies just behind the winery)

Question 9

What is Aÿ’s most prominent champagne house?

Other notable

Answer 9

Bollinger (Vieilles Vignes Francaises is made here)

Anselme Selosse’s La Côte Faron (formerly Contraste)

Question 10

What and where are the trio of single-vineyards from Jacquesson, made only in the best vintages?

Answer 10

Vauzelle Terme in Aÿ- 100% PN- one of the best champagne in Aÿ

Champ Cain in Avize- 100% Pn

Corne Bautray in Dizy- 100% Chard

Question 11

What is the most striking example of an Aÿ-based blend?

Answer 11

Roderer’s Cristal Rosè

Question 12

Where is Cuis?

Best Producer?

Answer 12

North/NE facing Premier Cru of the Cote de Blanc, SW of Chouilly
-not as ripe or complex as GC villages, instead creating wines of firm acidity and taut, focused structure.

Pierre Gimonnet (also own vineyards in Chouilly and Cramant)
Gimonnet BDB is always pure Cuis.

Question 13

Describe wines from Chouilly?

Best Producers

Answer 13

• broad build and creamy richness.
• temperedby the Marne River to the north, the miroclimate of Chouilly is also warmer; Chardonnay can yield expansive and voluptuous wines with a forward ripeness and soft structure.

Pierre Gimonnet Special Club
A.R. Lenoble
Vazart-Coquart

*in the past Chouilly was one of the few places in the Cote de Blanc (along with Vertus) that can be known for red wines; was ranked as a PC for red wine.

Question 14

Cramant Producers

Answer 14

Diebolt-Vallois’s Fleur de Passion

Larmandier-Bernier’s Vieille Vigne du Levant

Question 15

Avize Producers

Answer 15

—Agrapart et Fils’ Minéral (made up of Le Champ Bouton in Avize and Les Bionnes in Cramant; both heavy in chalk.). Also makes two contrasting wines in Avize; the broad, rich L’Avizoise (50 yr old vines on clay-heavy soils) and the finesse, complex and saline Vénus (50 year old chalkiest portion in Avize, plowed entirely by horse.), one of the finest BdB in Champagne

—Selosse (most renowned grower estate in Avize): vintage champagne is a combined soil effort Les Chantereines (east facing, very steep, bringing a lot of minerality) and Les Maldries du Midi (base of the slope facing south, contains more clay; gives body and volume).
-Also makes Substance from Avize and aged in Solera. Started in 1986 and containing every vintage since then “It’s important that the solera contains all vintages—good, bad, dry, wet. Only then do you get a true picture of the terroir”

—Larmandier-Bernier’s Les Chemins d’Avize; recently added this Avize bottling to the single-terroir collection from Cramant and Vertus.

Question 16

Oger Producer

Answer 16

**finds its way in to top blends in virtually all the major houses.

• Charles Heidsieck, blended in to Blanc des Millenaires and its other Champagnes.
• Suenen (although based in Cramant) Oiry La Cocluette and Oiry BDB

Question 17

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger

Two most notable producers and first vintages

Answer 17

Salon (private consumption 1905, publicly sold 1921)

Krug’s Clos du Mesnil (Clos du Mesnil)

Question 18

Salon
Style?
First vintage?
Who owns it today?
Other regions?
Vintages produced?

Answer 18

• one wine made; comes from the original vineyard owned by Aimé Salon; a few other parcels in Le-Mesnil.
• always vintage and always 100% Chard, aged ten years on the lees before release.
• 1905, commericially 1921.
• Laurent-Perrier Group (Today it is run side-by-side with Champagne Delamotte)

-Makes exclusively from Le Mesnil?

• 1921, 1925, 1928, 1934, 1937, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2006
• *Awaiting future release of 2007 and 2008. The 2008 is apparently only going to be released in magnum format

Question 19

Krug’s Clos de Mesnil

Size?

Answer 19

1. 84-hectare (4.55-acre)

* a true clos surrounded by walls

Question 20

What is the Champagne code for Nicolas Feuillette?

Answer 20

CM, the largest sparkling wine cooperative in the world.

Question 21

Name a tete de cuvee that does not see any time in oak.

Answer 21

Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill

Question 22

What producer in Champagne used “en provingage” and what is it the technique??

Answer 22

Bollinger makes Vieilles Vignes Française from Clos Chaude Terres and Clos St.-Jacques in Ay. Both parcels use “en provignage”; essentially layering of vines that was commonplace before the coming of phylloxera.

Question 23

Name three successful Champagne cooperatives, where they are located and their prestige bottlings.

Answer 23

—Nicolas Feuillatte (Chouilly) Prestige: “Palmes d’Or”
—Jacquart (Reims): “Cuvée Alpha” NV
—Mailly Grand Cru (Mailly-Champagne): “Les Échansons”, “L’Intemporelle” (Brut and Brut Rosé)

Question 24

Champagne houses under LVMH. (6)

Answer 24

Moet
Dom Perignon
Krug
Ruinart
Mercier
Veuve Cliquot

Question 25

Jacques Lassaigne
Location
Style
Top Wines

Answer 25

Montgueux (Aube)

Son, Emmanuel took over the property in 1999. All hand disgorged (video on Jenny and francois selections site)

Majority of vinification done in stainless steel (feels more purity in expression), lightly fined, but not filtered.

Makes rich, ample chardonnay, with high ripeness, flavors veer towards exotic fruit and orange citrus with depth and complexity.

Cuvee Le Cotet Extra Brut- Come from a steep, chalky vineyard of the same name on the slopes just below the winery itself, located on eastern end of Montgueux. Racy and vivid, showing ripeness of Montgueux while feeling much more linear and citrusy in character than other wines from other vineyards in the village.

La Colline Inspiree- poem by Andre Massey. First made in 2004, only cuvee to used wood (fully vinified and aged in old barrels, no oak flavoring, but does add suptuous oxidation) It’s a rich, ripe wine from 3 parcels (La Grand Cote, Les Paluets, and Bouillerate)

Les Papilles Insolites- Named for two superb establishments in Paris, may only find cuvee in these two places. Only cuvee made with pinot noir of Montegueux (75% w/ 25% Chard). Feels a little more like Poulsard (or other light red wine) than a Champagne. Earthy, taut aromas of dried cranberry, red currant, and plum skins. Consider decanting for an hour. Rare to find.

Question 26

Billecart Salmon
Location
Style
Top Wines

Answer 26

Mareuil-sur-Aÿ

Billecart-Salmon is currently run by the seventh generation of the Billecart family since its inception in 1811. The house style is elegant, driven by the philosophy to harvest higher acid, lower alcohol grapes. The majority of the vineyard holdings are in the Marne Valley in Damery, Aÿ, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Four hectares are located in the Côte des Blancs, all in grand cru vineyards. Their blends are red fruit dominant, driven by Pinot Noir and Meunier.

Brut Reserve NV
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Cuvée Nicolas François Brut Vintage- 60 percent pinot noir and 40 percent chardonnay. PN is sourced from the villages of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Aÿ, Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy, while the CHARD comes from Chouilly, Cramant, Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. First created in the 1955 vintage, it was released in 1968 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the house. Depending on the cuvée, base wines may be fermented in oak or stainless steel. Those that are fermented in oak do not go through malolactic fermentation. Wines are fermented slowly and at cool temperatures to preserve freshness, and are aged on their lees for four to five months before the bottle fermentation.

Clos Saint-Hilaire Brut Vintage
a parcel of 97.85 ares located just behind the winery. In the past, this parcel was dedicated to producing red wine, as it’s planted entirely with pinot noir, but in 1995 the Billecarts decided to produce a champagne from the Clos. Vinification takes place entirely in barrel, without malolactic, and the wine is aged for ten years in the cellar, released without dosage.

Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé Brut Vintage
In the 1988 vintage, created the Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon, a prestige cuvée rosé champagne intended to be a counterpart to the Nicolas François. Made of equal parts chardonnay and pinot noir, selected from older vines than for the red wine in the non-vintage rosé.

Question 27

Benoît Lahaye
Location
Style
Top Wines

Answer 27

Bouzy (Montagne de Reims)

Based heavily on pinot noir, which can account for 90 percent of the blend. Intense without being weighty, vinous, made from very ripe fruit
Passionate advocate of natural/organic/biodynamic viticulture; all certified; “my wines attain higher levels of ripeness now, while retaining the same level of acidity.”

Question 28

Agrapart and Fils
Location
Style
Top Wines

Answer 28

Avize (Côte des Blancs)

Aged in 600 liter demimuids; wood is never intrusive as he hates the flavors of new barrels. Vibrant, vinous, intense expression of terroir, impeccable balance.

7 Crus, NV Brut, 90% Chard, 10% Pinot Noir-refers to the seven villages of Avize, Cramant, Oger, Oiry, Avenay Val d’Or, Bergeres-les-Vertus, and Mardeuil. Blend of two different years with half of the older vintage aged in oak barrels.

Terriors- 100% Chard from Avize, Cramant, Oger, and Oiry. Aged for 1 year longer than 7 crus due to greater depth and richness

Venus- Monoparcel. The vineyard of La Fosse is one of the best parcels in Avize worked by horse instead of tractor. Plowing by horse does not compact the soil as much, keeping it better aerated. The parcel was worked by a Boulonnais mare named Venus, who also lent her name to to the resulting wine. Very terroir specific wine, La Fosse lies largely on the chalky portion of the slope, contrasting the clay soils of Avize vineyards. Usually the top wine of the cellar due to complexity and soil expression.

Complantée- a sort of replacement for their discontinued rose, a new cuvee made from 6 different varieties (15 % pinot noir, meunier, arbanne, pinot blanc, and petit meslier, plus 25% chardonnay) co-planted, harvested, and pressed together.