Champagne is Wine
Sounds daft, but we forget Champagne is a wine because of the big brands and the marketing and the fact that all the big houses blend from all over the region. However there are, like everywhere else in the wine world, subregions and each give the wines from there a distinct style. Sure, they may have other regions wines blended in too, but as a general rule, the smaller producers will reflect their regions style.
Montagne de Reims
The Mountain of Reims… well the hill of Reims has many vineyards that slope south or southeast with a Pinot Noir focus. The wines tend to be a bit bigger and richer, with ten of the seventeen Grand Cru vineyards here including Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy, Verzenay and Mailly-Champagne.
Champagne Demiere | | Champagne Paul Dethune | Hugues Godme | Hure Freres | Louis Brochet | Louis Roederer | Maurice Vesselle | Paul Clouet | Rousseaux Batteaux | Trousset Guillemart |
Valle de la Marne
The only Grand Cru vineyard here is Aÿ which is right outside of the city of Epernay. There is a focus here on the Pinot Meunier grape and produces a rich style of Champagne.
Billecart Salmon | Edouard Brun | Gaston Chiquet | Gourtorbe Bouillot | Laurent Benard | Thierry Fournier |
Cote des Blancs
Mainly Chardonnay with the remaining 6 Grand Cru vineyards of Champagne. This is the region where there are some spectacular single varietal wines made.
Bonnaire| Bruno Michel | Veuve Fourny| Jacques Selosses | Jeaunaux Robin | Pernet et Pernet | Pierre Callot | Pierre Legras | Domaine Vincey |Vincent Charlot |
Cote de Sezanne
South of the Cote des Blancs is another Chardonnay dominant region, but most of the wines are blended into larger brand Champagnes.
Cote des Bar
On the border between Champagne and Burgundy, this is mainly Pinot Noir and is similar to Montagne de Reims. Because the region is Grand and Premier Cru-less, you get real value wines here.
Bernard Robert | Brocard Pierre | Champagne Gallimard | Champagne Gremillet | Julien Prelat | Remi Leroy |
So why not pick some wines from the different regions and start tasting?!