RELATIONSHIPS
Read the label information from three perspectives.
The information conveyed by each
Blanc de Blancs / Noirs
Is it made from white grapes or black grapes?
Millésime
Indicates a specific harvest year.
Brut and others
Sugar classification. Display is separate from grape variety and vintage.
This is a summary of the relationships explained in the main text. For details on grape composition and production conditions, please refer to the main text and official sources. Sources and reference materials
REGIONAL ATLAS / Understanding by location
Champagne: Overlaying regions and main grape varieties
This is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the four districts and Reims–Épernay. North is up. The distance south to Côte des Bar is shortened. Not all varieties or subregions within each district are shown.
You can move the map horizontally on small screens. You can also select locations from the names below the diagram.
1. Montagne de Reims
The region spreading between Reims and Épernay. A key indicator for the varieties is Pinot Noir. However, the district name alone does not mean that every single plot is planted with the same variety.
2. Vallée de la Marne
Tracing west from Épernay along the Marne River. Meunier plays a major role here, with Pinot Noir noteworthy to the east.
3. Côte des Blancs
South of Épernay. Chardonnay is the main variety. Consider moisture retention and supply in chalk as an environment for grape growth.
4 Côte des Bar
A region separated from the other three areas in the south, in the Aube department. Pinot Noir is the main grape variety. Do not describe the geology of the entire region with only the area around Reims.
Reference materials with diagrams and explanations:Champagne Committee | Geography of the 4 subregions ↗ ／ Champagne Committee | Grape varieties and subregions ↗ ／ Champagne Committee | Subterranean geology and water uptake ↗
Read the main text about the region →FIELD NOTE 01
Northern vineyards and main varieties
Vineyards are spread across Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, and further south in Côte des Bar. The main varieties are Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay. Reviewing the combinations of district and variety using a map makes them easier to remember.
FIELD NOTE 02
Making white wine from black grapes
Even from black-skinned varieties, if pigment extraction is limited during pressing, white wine can be made. “Blanc de Noirs” means a white wine from black grapes, and “Blanc de Blancs” means a white wine from white grapes.
This display and categories of sweetness like Brut are on separate axes. Do not line up color, variety, and sugar content in a single sequence.
FIELD NOTE 03
Purpose of combining multiple vintages
For wines made by blending multiple years, reserve wine is used. The conditions for a multi-vintage blend versus a single-vintage (millésime) are different.
If you separate the grape variety, vineyard, vintage, maturation on lees, and dosage, you can see where the producer makes differences.
FIELD NOTE 04
Check the conditions for comparison between the two Bollinger wines
Special Cuvée is officially described as being Pinot Noir 60%, while La Grande Année 2014 is 61%. In these two wines, more attention can be paid to whether multiple years are blended or if the wine represents the 2014 vintage, rather than just the proportion of the main variety.
However, both the composition of the remaining grape varieties and the vineyard combinations differ. This is not an experiment that isolates only the difference between single and multiple vintages. Even with the same producer, several winemaking conditions remain.
In the Bollinger article, distinguish storage of reserve wines, barrel fermentation of the base wine, and aging on lees during secondary fermentation in bottle. Before answering 'how many years it was aged,' identify the stage those years belong to.
FIELD NOTE 05
Chalk allows water to pass through while also retaining moisture.
The Champagne Committee describes the porous structure of chalk as being linked to water storage and supply. The geology does not directly impart a 'stone taste' to the wine, but affects ripening through the water environment around the roots.
However, the whole production area is not the same chalk; there is also marl and hard limestone. Once you memorize the representative variety for a district, add the local subsoil and moisture conditions. The district names on maps do not indicate a single, uniform vineyard in terms of soil or grape variety.
Basis for this section:Champagne Committee | Subterranean geology and water uptake ↗
Not possible. Champagne is a protected appellation of origin. Separate shared production methods from differences in districts, varieties, and regulations.
PAUSE & REFLECT
Check your understanding.
If Franciacorta is made by bottle fermentation, can it be labeled as Champagne?
Read the explanation ＋
Not possible. Champagne is a protected appellation of origin. Separate shared production methods from differences in districts, varieties, and regulations.
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View saved notes →Courses related to this question
Henriot: Even with a single variety, multiple vineyards and vintages →
Deutz: comparing plots in the same village and variety →
Philipponnat: The slope and winemaking of Clos des Goisses →
Gosset: Measuring time before and after disgorgement →
Charles Heidsieck: Reserve wine proportion and age →
Laurent-Perrier: The three vintages blended in Grand Siècle →
Egly-Ouriet: Comparing Two Black Grape Varieties →
Jacques Selosse: The base village and cultivation history →
Billecart-Salmon: barrel fermentation in old wood and bottle maturation →
Pol Roger: The Three Varieties and Dosage →
Salon: Single village vs. single vineyard →
Dom Pérignon: Releasing the Same Vintage at Different Times →
Ruinart: Blending remains even with a single variety →
Taittinger: Proportion of Chardonnay and village sources →
Louis Roederer: Two Types of Reserve →
Krug: narrowing by village, plot, and vintage →
Veuve Clicquot: Ratio and vintages of reserve wines →
Moët & Chandon: blending across vintages and single-harvest wines →
Sources and reference materials
These are the reference materials for the main text. For details of production regulations, consult the current documents. For individual wine specifications, refer to materials for the relevant vintage.
- Champagne Committee | Grape varieties and subregions ↗
- Champagne Committee | Grape varieties, methods, and labeling FAQ ↗
- Champagne Committee | Tirage and secondary fermentation ↗
- Champagne Committee | Dosage ↗
- Bollinger | Special Cuvée ↗
- Bollinger | La Grande Année 2014 ↗
- Champagne Committee | Subterranean geology and water uptake ↗