We went to Champagne for a visit earlier this year, in just 3 days we visited 12 champagne houses, including some growers and large maisons!
The choice of plantings in Champagne is based on compatibility with the special nature of the local terroir. The vineyard today is predominantly planted to the black Pinot Noir and Meunier and the white Chardonnay.
The pinot noir accounts for 38% of planting. It is the predominant grape variety on the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Bar where the cool, chalky terrain suit it perfectly. It is the Pinot Noir that adds backbone and body to the blend, producing wines with distinctive aromas of red berries and good structure.
Pinot Meunier accounts for 32% of planting. This robust grape variety shows better cold-weather resistance than the pinot noir and is particularly well suited to the more argillaceous soils of the Marne Valley. The meunier adds roundness to the blend, producing supple, fruity wines that tend to age more quickly than wines made with the other two varieties.
Chardonnay accounts for 30% of plantings. The chardonnay accounts for 30% of plantings. The chardonnay is king on the Côte des Blancs, yielding delicately fragrant wines with characteristic notes of flowers, citrus and sometimes minerals. Being slower to develop than the other two varieties, chardonnay produces wines that are built to age.
