About the Champagne wine region
Champagne is a sparkling wine made from grapes coming from the Champagne region in north-central France. Producers must follow rules requiring the secondary fermentation of the wine in bottle to create the bubbly carbonation. Champagne is a blending of base wines which, ideally, create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. These “base” wines come from an assortment of wines—the Chardonnay white grape and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for red—from various villages and vineyards.
Two areas in the Champagne region are thought to be best for their superior grapes: the Montagne de Reims, which is perfectly located for producing the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier red grapes, and the Côte des Blancs, whose soils of limestone and chalk are excellent for Chardonnay. The Vallee de la Marne, which lies in a thin band along most of the region and is home to both red and white grapes, is the biggest area other than the Aube district, which lies further to the south.
Each decade, there are only four out of five harvests in the tough climate northeast of Paris that generate the needed ingredients to produce complete and balanced Champagne, vintage-designated, wines. They are, by definition, wines made entirely during the year indicated on the label. Because of this, most Champagnes also blend juice from two and more vintages.
This act of blending vintages is the means Champagnes producers employ to maintain their “house style” and provide their customers with a dependable, and consistent, product. With non-vintage wine accounting for about four out of five bottles of all Champagne produced, it makes sense that the status of most major houses depends on the quality and uniformity of their non-vintage offerings. Lucky for the Champagne-enthusiast, non-vintage bottles are often just as good as their vintage counterparts—and considerably less expensive.
The flagship cuvée of Delamotte, the only house to offer a blend of the six crus of the Côte des Blancs. The 2018 vintage strikes a very solid balance between the generosity of this sunny vintage and the core terroirs...
The NV Champagne Le Rose, which pours a medium salmon color, is a benchmark wine in the range and classic for a reason. Medium to full-bodied, with intertwining notes of flowers and spice, it boasts notes of cherry...
(95+ points) One of the greatest hits from Rare Champagne, the 2012 Rare Millésime is produced from fruit harvested between September 10 and 26. Disgorged in November 2023 with a dosage of eight grams per liter, it is a...
A vibrant Champagne, with a firm frame of acidity well-meshed with flavors of crushed white cherry, tangerine peel, oyster shell and blanched almond. Fine and creamy. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged September 2024...
A composed, deeply refined nose unfolds with Granny Smith apple, macadamia and saline patisserie, accented by violet. The palate is poised and authoritative, its fine, persistent perlage carrying rose petal, fresh almond...
A vibrant, graceful Champagne that shows fine definition and integration, with a mouthwatering frame of acidity. The persistent, lacy mousse is enmeshed with an appealing range of ripe and juicy black cherry and...
A reductive style with grapefruit, limes, yellow plums and broom flowers. Vinous. Fine mousse with zesty acidity, very light body and a leaner finish. A bit more complexity expected. Drink now.
The same blend as the Blanc but including 5% red wine from their La Côte aux Enfants parcel, the 2015 Champagne La Grande Année Brut Rosé is a lovely wine on the nose, and I think I might like it more than the Blanc in...
From the heart of La Côte de Blancs, the NV Champagne Brut is based on the 2021 vintage and features a classic blend of 60% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and the remainder Meunier grown on chalky soils at different...
A bright golden color, the medium-bodied 1996 Champagne Louis XV Brut is a brighter hue than the 1995, with more elegance and refined length, as well as a more focused feel. With a ripe texture and more white fruit, it...
Mostly grand cru as well as 30% from Villers-Marmery and Trepail, I love the nose of the 2016 Champagne Millesime Brut, which is very pretty and offers lots of pleasure and decadence. It has more Chardonnay character at...
A glaze of caramel is stretched over a wide array of candied fruit aromas, the balance of ripeness and mineral freshness spot on, the finish long and moderately structured. Drink now. - Stuart Pigott
An elegant Champagne that glides across the palate on its satiny mousse, integrating a chalky underpinning and pleasing range of white cherry, grainy pear, toasted almond, vanilla wafer, and pretty verbena and ginger...
A minerally underpinning of oyster shell, chalk and smoke accents is layered with rich flavors of creamed black cherry, brioche and lemon curd in this bright, balanced Champagne, with a lacy mousse. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay...
An enticing rosé Champagne, with a core of ripe and juicy raspberry, white peach and cherry, fragrant anise, cardamom and cumin, plus accents of slivered almond, candied ginger, blood orange peel and white blossoms...
Mouthwatering, with a refined, lacy mousse, this is well-spiced and fragrant. A subtle skein of ground anise, clove and cardamom winds through flavors of baked cassis, chopped hazelnut, lime blossoms and pastry. Tightly...
From the 2019 vintage and disgorged in September 2024 with a dosage of four grams per liter, the latest rendition of Geoffroy’s NV Rosé de Saignée Cumières Premier Cru—as always—derives exclusively from Cumières. The only...
A bright medium yellow hue, the NV Champagne Longitude Extra Brut has more focus and a compact, linear drive from more chalky soils, with notes of lemon candy, Anjou pear, and a very pretty floral perfume. Medium-bodied...
Hints of brioche and lemon meringue pie enrich the flavors of cassis and apricot fruit, pickled ginger, smoke and roasted hazelnut in this classy Champagne, backed by vibrant acidity. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot...
Pale pink salmon-colored, the NV Champagne 1er Cru Brut Rosé is equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and has 6% vin rouge in the blend. It reveals notes of fresh strawberries, peaches, fresh pastry dough, and a fluffy...
Creamy and well-balanced, this lively Champagne offers flavors of ripe black currant and black cherry, candied lemon peel, and brioche, plus fragrant notes of anise and clove. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay...
Crafted around the 2018 vintage, the NV Champagne Le Sous Bois is a blend of 33% Meunier, 39% Chardonnay, and the remainder Pinot Noir, with 37% reserve wine, the oldest part from 2006. A copper straw color, entirely...
From 12 crus within Champagne, the NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs Brut is based on the 2017 vintage and has between 30-50% reserve wines in the blend. It boasts a bright yellow/golden color and offers ripe aromas of...
The 2012 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is a very sexy Champagne, but it is also quite reserved, especially within the context of the year. Crushed rose petal, kirsch, white pepper, slate and mint are all beautifully...
A textbook blanc de blancs Champagne, with a rich waft of toasted hazelnut on the nose, plus a voluptuous range of poached apricot, quince paste, tangerine peel and brioche notes that expand on the finely detailed mousse...
A bright straw/yellow hue, the 2020 Champagne Les Fortes Terres Extra Brut is entirely composed of Meunier and sourced from the single lieu-dit of LFT. It was vinified in stainless steel tanks and aged on the lees for 40...
Jacquesson's Cuvée 748 is based on the 2020 vintage. It has 2 grams per liter of dosage, and was disgorged in August 2024. It gallops out with energetic notes of ripe apples, pear tart, and persimmons, with hints of crème...
Attractive salmon color with flint, white-pepper and delicate cantaloupe aromas that follow through to a medium body with bitter grilled-lemon and orange-peel flavors. Very intense aftertaste. Lots of character. A blend...
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