Champagne Wines

Not long once the bottle is open! Once you have heard the beautiful pop, signifying that the cork’s removal is releasing 6 atmospheres of pressure, Champers bubbles begin to move... and the magic is conjured in your glass, even as it begins to dissipate.

Champagne can also be cellared. Champagne drinkers in the UK will often tuck away their stash for a few years before getting into it. Fair to say though that Champagne is released for sale when the producer feels it is ready to drink – with the ageing done in bottle for you already. This ageing is done with the yeast in the bottle for at least 15 months and often much longer. Why? Over time the yeast decomposes in the bottle (autolysis), and sugars and mannoproteins are imparted into the wine which becomes more complex and interesting as a result; aromas and flavours develop such as yeasty notes, brioche, florals, nuttiness, a creamier mouthfeel and much finer bead. The impact of autolysis is much more profound after the wine has been on lees for 18 months. The more time on lees, the greater the development of flavour and complexity.

How big is your glass? You might get 8 glasses using those thin flutes... but they aren’t much chop for drinking Champagne. A standard white wine glass does a much better job of conveying aromas and flavours and when you are shelling out Champagne money, you really want to extract every last morsel of ‘huzzah’! Standard white wine glasses will fit a bit more in them than the old-style flute, so let's say 6 glasses.

It’s the one you like the most!

Chardonnay vs. Pinot Noir vs. blends - Chardonnay and Pinot are the most widely planted grapes in the region and most Champagne is mostly a blend of these + or - Pinot Meunier. Straight Chardonnay and straight Pinot Noir Champagnes are also common.

Chardonnay Champagnes tend to be lively and mineral and can offer aromas and flavours of white flowers, citrus, grapefruit, chalk, green apple. Aniseed ginger and bread. If they are ages long on lees in bottles brioche, almond, stewed fruits, toast, grilled nuts, mushroom and more may emerge.

Pinot Noir Champagnes tend to offer body and structure with aromas and flavours including red apple, cherries, strawberry, damson plum, blackberry, cinnamon, rose and violet. As these wines age on lees, mango, fig, other red and black berries, hazelnuts, date (the palm kind!) tobacco, coffee and cacao may emerge.

Some drinkers prefer straight Chardonnay, some Pinot, some a combination of the two. The best way to unlock this mystery is to try for yourself!

Grand and Premier Cru vineyards vs. the rest - There are several hundred distinct villages in Champagne and all are capable of producing excellent Champagne. Only 17 of these are rated Grand Cru (best) and just over 40 Premier Cru (bloody good). This doesn't mean that all Grand and Premier Cru Champagnes are exceptional, nor that regular village bubbles are all meh. This categorisation came about in the 1920s when the large producers proposed paying for grapes by quality, rather than just volume. The means of ‘measuring’ quality was to determine which sub regions were the best (Grand Cru) and which were second tier (Premier Cru). That said, on average Grand Cru is best, Premier Cru next best. Some producers though will blend across 2 or 3 of these subsets if it produces a better wine. Pierre Gimmonet for instance will blend to make a better wine and in so doing loses the commercial advantage that being able to include the term Grand Cru on his label would afford. Krug also produces strictly according to quality. Champagne Bouche is another. Their 2008 is an exceptional blend of Grand and Premier Cru fruit.

There are a bunch of varietals which can be used in the production of Champagne, with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier being the most common. They make up over 99% of total production. Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris can also be used.

The Le Mesnil Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs is an example of a Champagne made from 100% Chardonnay sourced entirely from the Grand Cru Village of Le Mesnil. The Roger Brun Cuvée La Pelle Grand Cru is another exceptional Grand Cru Champagne made from 100% Pinot Noir. Finally, the Bouche Pere Et Fils Millesime is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced primarily from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards. This Champagne is made from the best fruit from a single vintage.

The group of 7 allowed varieties is likely to change in the future. As climate change impacts ripeness, the Chef du Caves, aka winemakers, are dialling back the amount of dosage (sugar) they add to Champagne, some are even preventing malolactic fermentation to bring balance to increasingly ripe fruit. It is possible though, that these methods will only work in the short to medium term.

Increasing disease pressure is also an issue with downy and powdery mildew more frequently impacting quality and yield.

From 2023 the SGV (Syndicat Général des Vignerons, SGV) in Champagne will allow the planting of a grape called Voltis. This is a lab created hybrid grape which is fungus resistant. The jury is out on how it will impact on the flavour profiles with one producer saying he was 'seduced by its flavours', another saying 'This is like crossing a monkey with a man: it may be technically possible but it goes against nature... [and will lead to] artificial and unnatural wine'... We find the concept of a monkey man or woman intriguing... and with a prehensile tail we could compare 3 wines simultaneously, bonus!