It’s from North-East France

THE REGION WE TALK ABOUT AS CHAMPAGNE IS TO BE FOUND APPROXIMATELY 150 KILOMETRES TO THE EAST/NORTHEAST OF PARIS. IT IS THE MOST NORTHERLY OF THE AOC DISTRICTS (APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTROLEE – BASICALLY, DESIGNATED WINE AREAS), LOCATED AT THE LATITUDE OF 49-49.5°N (THE NORTHERN LIMIT FOR GROWING GRAPES IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE 50°N).

WORDS KEN GARGETT

CHAMPAGNE MUST COME FROM THE designated region. Nowhere else in France, or indeed any other winegrowing district in the world, can make ‘Champagne’, though plenty have tried. The authorities in Champagne will strenuously defend and protect their name and reputation and it is not uncommon for them to take legal action to do so.

The delimited region consists of approximately 35,000 hectares (35,280 to be exact). Roads, buildings and their ilk take up a small percentage, leaving around 34,000 hectares for vines.

The five main growing districts are the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sezanne, Vallee de la Marne and the Aube/Côte des Bar. The major towns in the region are Reims and Epernay (Sir Winston Churchill once famously described the location of his favourite House, Pol Roger – 44 Avenue de Champagne in Epernay – as “the most drinkable address in the world”). The region is divided into 320 villages/ crus, of which 17 are considered Grand Cru and 42 Premier Cru. There are hundreds of thousands of small plots – the best growers do not so much think of the characteristics of a full vineyard or indeed, whether it is Grand Cru or Premier Cru, but rather the character of small individual plots throughout their vineyards.

The Montagne is not so much a mountain, at its highest it is always under 300 metres, but more an elevated plain. It enjoys the largest concentration of Grand Cru villages with 9 – Bouzy, Ambonnay, Louvois, Verzy, Verzenay, Mailly-Champagne, Sillery, Puisieulx and Beaumont-sur-Vesle. The Premier Cru villages here are TauxièresMutry, Trépail, Villiers Marmery, Ludes, Chigny-les-Roses, Rilly-la-Montagne, Pargny les Reims, Jouy les Reims, VilleDommange, Sacy, Eceuil, Chamery, Les Mesneux, Bezannes, Villier-aux-Noeuds, Villiers-Allernad, Troi Puits, Montbré, Taissy, Billy-la-Grand and Vaudemanges.

The majority of vines are Pinot Noir, with 56 per cent. 28 per cent is devoted to Chardonnay with the remaining 16 per cent Meunier (some authorities place the percentage of Meunier higher, at the expense of Noir). This is a region where the two black grapes shine though the variation of soils throughout and the differing aspects mean considerable variety.

If the Montagne is the spiritual home of black grapes, the Côte des Blancs is heaven for white – Chardonnay. 96 per cent of the vineyards are planted with Chardonnay (3 per cent and 1 per cent for the Noir and Meunier respectively). The prized Cretaceous chalk soils, which form the overwhelming majority of the soils here, tend to be situated in the lower and mid-range of the slopes, much as is found in the Montagne, and also Burgundy. There are six Grand Crus here – Oiry, Chouilly, Cramant, le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Avize, with these latter four Crus especially revered as producing some of the finest grapes in all of Champagne. The Premier Crus are Cuis, Vertus, Bergèresles-Vertus, Voipreux, Etréchy, Coligny and Villeneuve-Renneville Chevigny. The slopes face to the east and the southeast.

The Vallée de la Marne is sometimes considered the workhorse of the region, with its emphasis on Meunier. 63 per cent of the region is devoted to this grape. 27 per cent is planted to Pinot Noir and just 10 per cent to Chardonnay. The soil is cretaceous chalk under limestone, marl, clay and some sand. The final two Grand Crus are found here – Aÿ and Tours-sur-Marne, though some feel that Aÿ and the Premier Cru of Mareuilsur-Aÿ really should be considered as part of the Montagne and not the Marne. The Premier Crus are Hautvillers, Cumières, Dizy, Champillon, Mutigny, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Bisseuil. Hautvillers, Dizy and Cumières are considered the pick of the Crus.

The Côte de Sézanne is more cretaceous chalk mixed with marl and sand patches. It is dominated by Chardonnay (70 per cent). The remainder is divided between Noir and Meunier, 21 per cent and 9 per cent

respectively (other authorities suggest slightly less Chardonnay and much higher Meunier, at the expense of Pinot Noir). Around 2,500 hectares, some see the Côte de Sézanne as a continuation of the Côte des Blancs, though with riper, fuller, more fruity, more forward and less refined wines. There are no Grand or Premier Crus to be found here.

Finally, the Côte des Bars – often called the Aube – has long been seen as a bit like the red-haired stepchild of the region (a description I have used before and recently discovered that others were describing it in exactly the same way). Far too often, even today, visitors to Champagne ignore the region. This is a shame as not only are there many superb Champagnes coming from here, it is also some of the most scenic countryside in all France.

Heavily devoted to Pinot Noir (85 per cent) with 8 per cent Chardonnay and 7 per cent Meunier, we mostly depart from chalk to a more ‘limey marl’. Almost 1/3rd of the Champagne region is found here. Many of the early problems came from here. Other producers wanted it excluded, as its soils have little in common, while the locals claim that history demands their inclusion, not least because the regional city of Troyes was Champagne’s first capital. A century ago, many of the vines were not the “famous three – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier – but rather such ‘lesser’ varieties as Gamay, Arbanne and Petit Meslier. Champagne did not want them as part of the region (and nor did Burgundy – something that is often forgotten). After the government of the day excluded the Aube from Champagne, riots followed. It was not until 1927 that the Aube was finally welcomed back into the fold. It does offer something that is unique; in one of the better local villages, Les Riceys, they have the only place in all France where wine may be produced under a choice of three different appellations – Champagne and two still red wine appellations, Rosé des Riceys and Coteaux Champenois.

In 2008, after an extensive review on all aspects pertaining to Champagne, the INAO (Institut National de l’origine et de la qualité, formerly the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, the French governmental entity which regulates agriculture) received a proposal for the revision of the Champagne region, prepared by five experts, in the areas of history, geology, agronomy, geography and phytosociology, who had worked on this for three years, at the behest of the CIVC. Their recommendation was that the number of villages included in the region be increased to 359, with two to be removed. There was the predictable

outrage, though it has been pointed out that the region is not a simple mass with neat borders, but rather a land mass spread across a much larger region and hence, this was more a consolidation than a process of cynical enlargement. The new vineyards will occupy gaps within the current perimeter of the region, but which were not originally included as part of Champagne’s designated area. It will bring great rewards to farmers who find their land included within the new boundaries. Estimates suggest the value of a hectare would skyrocket from approximately 5,000 Euros to at least a million euros. It is a contentious and lengthy process, but it does seem reasonable that there are potential vineyards not currently included within the region which could grow grapes of sufficient quality. Their original exclusion may be for any number of reasons which were pertinent at the time but no longer apply.

The location of Champagne ensures that the region enjoys both oceanic and continental climatic influences. The average annual temperature is 11°C (some authorities suggest an average of ten degrees is the minimum that can support vines). The continental influence ensures sufficient sunlight during summer – an average of 1,650 hours annually, compared with just over 2,000 for Bordeaux and just under 2,000 for Burgundy, though in the hotter years in Champagne, like 1976 and 2003, it can rise to over 2,000. The trade-off is that the region can suffer severe, even catastrophic frosts – such as in 1957 and 1985. The oceanic influence brings rain but it also helps maintain consistent seasonal temperatures. Local forests are also considered to assist in maintaining consistent temperatures, which in turn assist the gradual ripening of the grapes.

Naturally, with such an extensive region, there are varying soil characteristics throughout, though the chalky soils are undoubtedly famous and considered as an essential contributor to the character and class of the wines. The subsoil is mostly limestone and even the outcrops are also predominantly limestone, with chalk and marl. Chalk is, at its most basic, a ‘variety’ of limestone. It ensures excellent drainage, essential for growing first class grapes. Some also believe that this helps impart a minerally note to the wines, though there is considerable debate as to whether this is “possible”.

More specifically, the Montagne de Reims sits over a large bed of chalk (the chalk of Champagne is considered to be more porous and finer than the limestone found in other winegrowing regions of France); the Côte des Blancs and the Côte de Sézanne are both over outcrops of chalk; the Marne Valley tends to the marl and clay with the chalk and limestone found deeper, while the Côte des Bar is on soil consisting mostly of marl/clay – these are the oldest soils in the region, dating back to the Jurassic period and they are mostly the famous Kimmeridgian limestone, perhaps even more famous as the soils of Chablis. It is these soils which have led to a grudging acceptance that the wines from the Aube are of a lesser quality, though today, we are seeing more and more thrilling Champagnes from here – one example is Cedric Bouchard, one of the most exciting young names in all of Champagne today. Many large and well-known producers buy large quantities of grapes from here for their wines, even if they are not quick to admit it. Plantings here have greatly increased over recent decades and this has allowed for an increase in the average vine age, and commensurate increase in quality. Its position, more southerly than the rest of Champagne, also allows more reliable ripening. On the other hand, the lack of chalk means that the absorption of any excess rains is more difficult and can lead to waterlogged vineyards.

There is little doubt that this chalk is crucial to the quality of Champagne. It is mostly granules of calcite based on the shells of marine micro-organisms – the region was covered by ancient oceans some 70 million years ago, give or take. It is porous and hence able to store considerable quantities of water, enough to battle the effects of even the fiercest and driest of summers.

Another feature of the region is the slopes on which the vineyards sit. At this latitude, slopes which face the south and southeast make a significant difference as they are able to gain full benefit from the intensity of the sunlight. Recognition of the value of the slopes is not new – centuries ago, wines from this region were actually called ‘vin de coteaux’, meaning ‘wine from the slopes’. Any visit to the region reveals densely planted slopes at every turn. The slopes were created by the repeated freezing and thawing and the subsequent breaking down of the region during the Ice Age. It was pushed up some 10 million years ago by the earthquakes which occurred throughout the region.

Even with these endless undulating slopes, Champagne is relatively flattish for a winegrowing region. Most of these slopes are relatively gentle, the average gradient being 12 per cent, though they can be a little more severe. The steepest is noted at a serious 59 per cent. Even the slope for Philipponnat’s ‘Clos des Goisses’ vineyard is only 30 to 45 per cent, throughout, though walk up and down it and one wonders how vineyards can get much steeper – a visit to Germany will show just how extreme vineyards can be.

All of these factors combine to help create the unique terroir enjoyed by the region of Champagne. ❧