Echelle des Crus

LIKE SO MUCH PERTAINING TO THIS REGION, THE ÉCHELLE DES CRUS SYSTEM HAS BOTH PROPONENTS AND OPPONENTS.

WORDS KEN GARGETT

BASICALLY, THE SYSTEM RATES VILLAGES on the quality of the vineyards – all 318 villages have a rating between 80 and 100 per cent. The Echelle rating (it means, ‘ladder of growths’) is then used to determine the percentage of the set price per kilogram that will be paid to growers for their grapes. All 17 Grand Cru vineyards automatically receive a 100 per cent rating, meaning that if the price is set at 10 euros per kilogram, they will receive 10 euros for every kilogram sold. The Grand Crus represent less than 10 per cent of the vineyards of Champagne. They are divided between the Montagne de Reims (9), Côte des Blancs (6) and Vallée de la Marne (2). Prior to 1985, there were only 12 Grand Crus, but that was increased with the addition of Verzy, Chouilly, Oiry, Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger.

The 44 Premier Crus are rated between 90 and 99 per cent, while Deuxiéme Crus, 257 of them, are between 80 and 89 per cent. So, if a grower has a Premier Cru vineyard that is rated at say 96 per cent, he will receive 96 per cent of 10 euros for every kilo he sells – 9.60 euros.

The system was put in place in 1927, as part of the response to the riots earlier that century. Prior to its implementation, the growers believed that they were largely held to ransom by the Houses. As the growers were not in a position to make their own wines at the time, they had little choice other than to sell to the Houses at whatever price they could get. To increase their income, certain Houses had been going beyond the borders of the region; buying whatever grapes they could without regard to the source. The growers, outraged at this, lobbied the government. They did get legislation requiring that grapes used in the production of Champagne had to be at least 51 per cent from the region itself, but this in turn meant that supply exceeded demand.

The commissionaires, who negotiated with the growers on behalf of the Houses, were known for their shabby treatment, even violence and intimidation, of the growers. Houses were ignoring the laws and the growers were still trying to get past the effects of phylloxera. It was a tough, and ultimately unsustainable time for the growers and it led to riots in 1910 and 1911. More was needed from the authorities if further issues were to be avoided, but tensions continued to rise. The Échelle system was part of the response from the authorities.

The system has its critics; many believe that moving to a structure closer to that in use in Burgundy, where the rankings apply to vineyards more than villages, would be fairer (in Champagne, we often hear of vineyards being referred to as Grand Cru or Premier Cru, but in reality, all this means is that it is a vineyard situated in a Grand Cru or Premier Cru village – the rating is for the village and not the vineyard). With the everincreasing interest in terroir, this would allow a more accurate reflection of the differences in quality throughout a village. Inevitably, in any attempt to restructure the system, anyone who is demoted, and presumably some who do not achieve promotion, would not accept this without a fight. However, if the authorities do not rectify the situation, it will not be long before it becomes irrelevant and indeed, a hindrance.

It is all too easy to find examples; the highly regarded village of Montgueux,

found in the Cote des Bars, has a rating of just 80 per cent, yet the Chardonnay from its vineyards is in great demand. In any revision of the system, it should surely be elevated.

As for discrete vineyards deserving better, stand in Olivier Collin’s ‘Les Roises’ vineyard in the village of Congy, with its 60 year-old Chardonnay vines, giving tiny berries. A few rows away, neighbours’ vines have blown out into berries at least twice the size. The level of attention given to each vineyard could not be more apparent. Yet this is the village of Congy. Congy is not Grand Cru, nor even Premier Cru. Few people seem to have heard of it, though as most of the grapes hailing from here are average at best, that would hardly seem to matter. Yet the Champagnes Olivier is making are something very special – from this vineyard and his other equally unheralded sites. He does sell grapes, an economic necessity at the moment, and whether he gets a deserved premium for them, I do not know, but it does highlight the potential absurdity of the system. In a fairer system, Olivier’s vineyards would be recognised, admired and appropriately rewarded.

Another grower has been quoted as saying that while Grand Cru vineyards provide superior grapes overall, he has Premier Cru vineyards which can offer better grapes than those from the lesser parts of his Grand Cru vineyards.

Of course, it is not so simple. Champagne is the land of the blend. The House of Pierre Gimonnet has extensive vineyards in the Côte des Blancs, including significant holdings of Grand Cru vineyards, twelve in all. And yet they produce no Champagne that they can call “Grand Cru”, even if they wanted to. They believe that their best wines are made from a blend of their Grand Cru vineyards and those which are rated as Premier Cru. That is the road they have travelled. It cannot have been an easy decision. If they made wines which were “Grand Cru”, they could attain greater prestige and prices, yet they would know that the wines they would be making could be even better.

Another debate is that Champagne does not take full advantage of its Grand Crus (and by extension, the Premier Crus). Look to Champagne’s neighbour, Burgundy, and the wines almost always indicate the highest available designation. Any wine coming from a Grand Cru vineyard will almost certainly say so on the label. In turn, they are in great demand the world over, often at extraordinary prices. Yet in Champagne, a bottle made from grapes sourced only from a Grand Cru vineyard might, in a few cases, specify that on the label, but there will almost certainly be no indication of just which Grand Cru. Also, it is quite possible that should you find a bottle marked ‘Grand Cru’ on the label, it could come from a number of different Grand Cru villages and not just one – something that would never happen in Burgundy. This makes it useless from the perspective of anyone keen to see what a specific Grand Cru offers – it simply reveals that this is a Champagne made from grapes from vineyards in one or more of the villages awarded Grand Cru status.

Some argue, not without justification, that Champagne’s much larger area means that their Grand Crus will not have the same cache as the much smaller crus from Burgundy. The Grand Cru of Chouilly is over 500 hectares in size. Romanee-Conti in Burgundy is less than two hectares. It does seem likely that in the future, the focus will be heavily on individual vineyards and if there is greater emphasis placed on the best terroir within the crus then the region may fall into line with Burgundy. But this is the region of the blend and that will always play a significant role.

Not all of the larger Houses feel restricted by such classifications. Billecart-Salmon has a single hectare in the village of Mareuilsur-Aÿ, which is called ‘Clos Saint-Hilaire’. From it comes the brilliant Blanc de Noirs of the same name, one of the region’s most expensive wines. They clearly have no misgivings as to whether or not the vineyard is rated Grand Cru or Premier Cru.

Is Champagne missing a marketing opportunity (something one rarely hears about the Champenoise)? It seems very likely that much of this will change in the future, though there is a feeling among some growers that, as they feel the current system, flaws and all, benefits the large Houses, there is little likelihood of change. Today, the system is still in place, but some growers/ Houses use it more as a guide than as a strict decree. This allows for a fairer recompense for those vineyards which are especially good – in other words, great terroir and skilled viticulture is rewarded, as it should be. The better producers in the New World have long entered into arrangements with the top growers to buy grapes on quality, not yield or any antiquated system locking everyone into a cycle of mediocrity. Expect the same to happen more and more until the current Echelle system is nothing more than a nostalgic curiosity. ❧