Champagne Flashcards
What are the 3 levels in the Éschelle des Crus?
Grand Cru =100% (17 villages)
Premier Cru = 90-99% (42 villages)
Autre = 80-89% (200+)
What is the meaning of the term tirage?
the act of bottling a sparkling wine
What is the contribution of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (Veuve Cliquot) to Champagne making?
The process of riddling (remuage) is attributed to her.
What is Blanc de Noirs?
A white sparkling wine made from black grapes.
Pinot Noir and/or Meunier
What are the aging requirements for non-vintage & vintage Champagne and Crémant?
- Non-Vintage 12 months on lees & 3 more months in cellar
- Vintage 12 months on lees & 24 months in the cellar
- Crémant 9 months on the lees
What is the primary grape of the Grande Montagne de Reims?
Pinot Noir
What is the difference between Coteaux Champenois AOC & Champagne AOC?
- Coteaux Champenois AOC 100% still.
- Champagne AOC is 100% sparkling.
- Both areas cover the same area and use the same grapes.
What is disgorgement (dégorgement)?
Disgorgement is the removal of dead yeast cells after the second fermentation of sparkling wine in the Champagne Method.
What are the 3 principle grapes in Champagne today?
Pinot Noir (38%)
Meunier (32%)
Chardonnay (30%)
* Percentage of total area under vine.
What was the first Champagne house?
Ruinart (1729)
What are the 2 types of chalk found in Champagne?
Belemnite (preferred) & Micraster
Belemnite: ancient arrow-like/squid Micraster: sea-urchins
What is liquor d’expedition?
A mix of sugar and still reserve wine added to champagne after disgorgement and before the cork is inserted.
“Dosage”; determines a sparking wine’s final sweetness level.
What does the abbreviation CM refer to on a bottle of Champagne?
Coopérative de Manipulation
It is a cooperative that vinifies the grapes of its members.
What is the primary grape of Vitry-le-François?
Chardonnay
What is the primary grape of the Vallée de la Marne?
Meunier
But Pinot Noir is the Grande Valée de la Marne.
What Champagne is drier: Brut Nature or Sec?
Brut Nature
What is transversage?
The process of using 750ml bottles to fill larger format bottles (bigger than magnums) and small format bottles after disgorgement.
Which Champagne is sweeter: doux or demi-sec?
Doux
What is a pupitre?
An A-frame rack used for riddling Champagne bottles.
What are the 4 principle sub-regions of Champagne?
- Montagne and Val de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte de Blancs
- Côte de Bar
What is disgorgement à la volée?
The traditional disgorgement by hand with no freezing of the cap.
What are crayères?
Old chalk cellars dug by the Romans now used as wine cellars.
What is sur lie aging?
The aging of wine on dead yeast cells.
What are the 3 AOCs of Champagne?
Rosé des Riceys AOC
Coteaux Champenois AOC
Champagne AOC
What is Champagne’s most widely planted grape?
Pinot Noir (38%)
What was Louise (Madame) Pommery’s contribution to Champagne?
She initiated the trend to dry styles of Champagne.
What is the term prise de mousse?
“Seizing of the Foam” or the second alcoholic fermentation in the making of Champagne.
What is “Blanc de Blancs”
A white sparkling wine made from white grapes.
What was Dom Perignon’s most important contribution to Champagne?
Creating the cuvée (blend) of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier
What is the tête de cuvée?
A champagne house’s prestige bottling.
What does the abbreviation “NM” refer to?
Négociant-Manipulant
A producer who buys grapes from others for their blend.
What is the primary grape of the Côte des Blancs?
Chardonnay
What is a “Gyropalette”?
A mechanized rack used for riddling.
What does the term sur lattes refer to?
Storing Champagne bottles on horizontal strips of wood.
How many standard bottles of wine are contained in a Methuselah?
8 bottles
Which Champagne region is included in the Kimmeridgian ring?
Côte de Bar
What are the 7 levels of sweetness of Champagne?
Driest to Sweetest
- Brut Nature
- Extra Brut
- Brut
- Extra Sec (extra dry)
- Sec (dry)
- Demi-Sec
- Doux
What does the abbreviation “RC” refer to on a bottle of Champagne?
Récoltant-Coopérateur
A grower who send his grapes to a co-op to be made into Champagne, then sells it under a private label
What is the primary grape of the Côtes des Bar?
Pinot Noir
What is France’s northernmost wine region?
Champagne
It lies between 48 - 49.5 degrees north.
Why is Belemnite chalk preferred over Micraster chalk?
Location
Belemnite is found at the mid-to-upper slope where there is more sun and better water drainage
Micraster chalk is located where the slope begins to flatten.
Describe Barséquanais.
Comprised of 5 river valleys near the villages of Les Riceys within the Côte des Bar.
Pinot Noir dominant (85%) on Kimmeridgean soil
Describe Bar-Sur-Aubois.
Flanks the Aube river within the Côte de Bar.
Pinot Noir Dominant on Kimmeridgean soil
Describe Montgeux.
Located to the west of Troyes on chalk in the Aube.
Primarily Chardonnay on chalk
Describe Vitry-le-Francois.
East facing, chalky slopes
Most planted to Chardonnay
Describe Côte de Sezanne.
- Located north and south of the town of Sezanne
- Mostly chalk with pockets of clay
- Vineyards face southwest
- Mostly Chardonnay
Describe Val du Petit Morin.
- The Petit Morin is a tributary of the Marne
- Mix of chalk and sand/clay/marl
- So there is a split of Chardonnay and Meunier
Describe the Côtes de Blancs.
- Located south of Eperney
- Perpendicular to the Marne Valley
- Soils are chalk
- Vineyards face east
- Chardonnay dominates
Describe the Vallée de la Marne ouest.
- The western most section of Champagne
- Most of the vineyards are on the right bank of the Marne river, face south and southeast
- Soils = sand/clay/marl
- Meunier dominates
Describe the Vallée de la Marne Rive Droit.
- Vineyards of the right bank are south facing
- Soils = sand/clay/marl soils
- Meunier dominates
Describe the Vallée de la Marne Rive Gauche.
- Left bank of the Marne River Valley
- Vineyards face north
- Soils are sand/clay/marl
- Meunier dominates
Describe Côteaux Sud d’Éperney.
- South and southwest of Eperney
- Soils are chalk and sand/clay/marl
- Almost even split of Meunier and Chardonnay with a small amount of Pinot Noir
Describe the Grande Vallée de la Marne.
- South of Montagne de Reims and north of Éperney
- Soils = sand/clay/marl, some pockets of chalk
- Most of the vineyards are Pinot Noir
- Significant number of Premier and Grand Cru-ranked villages