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Champagne: From Variety to Vat

This guide is one of many present on this site, some of which are detailed multi-page affairs, some very brief single-page efforts, thumbnail sketches if you will. None of them, however, include any great detail on winemaking. There is a simple reason for this; what is most important in understanding a wine region is not, very broadly speaking, what happens in the cellars once all the fruit has been harvested. There are many other more important variables to consider first, with grape variety, climate and terroir being perhaps the most significant determinants of the style of the eventual wine; what happens in the cellar though is mere detail. Yes, I accept that it can in fact make a huge difference to the wine, as there are in truth many more variables here than perhaps in the vineyard. With a choice of fermentation vessels, temperature control, yeast cultures, and use (or not) of oak, and of course more recently arrived interventions such as micro-oxygenation or reverse osmosis, it is quite possible for a winemaker to firmly stamp his or her identity on a wine. But these wines will never define a region; they can only ever be complexities, one of many facets.

If there is an exception to this rule, though, it might be that we have found it in Champagne. This is a region where the winemaker, the blender, the chef de cave is king, and although climate and variety undoubtedly play a part in determining the ultimate style of these wines, it is to a much larger extent determined by what happens in the cellar. There are many processes unique to the region, and I think if we are to understand the wines, then some knowledge of these processes may be very useful.

Champagne Variety

Before considering the intricacies of the work in the cellars, though, let us first consider the vineyard and the varieties of Vitis vinifera which characterise the Champagne vineyard. Open any general guide to wine and it will tell you there are three varieties permitted for the appellation, these being Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Any regular reader of Winedoctor, and specifically of these guides, might already have an inkling as to what I am going to write next; the situation regarding grape variety in Champagne is, only naturally, a little more complicated than that!

First, when considering the three principal varieties already mentioned, and especially Pinot Noir (shown left), there is the issue of clone selection. This is a topic which I have already covered in my guide to Burgundy, where this variety is responsible for some of the world's greatest red wines. Indeed, it was standing at the crest of a slope in Burgundy, overlooking a broad sweep of vines, that I first heard criticised the planting of "Champagne clones" of the mutation-prone Pinot Noir. The Burgundian's view of the world is that naturally only they use the high quality, low yielding clones, whereas the folks just a little further north in Champagne are of course only concerned with prodigious quantity, not quality. There is some truth in this statement, the Champenois typically opting for clones where good yields are ensured, such as (all clones are numbered) 386, 521, 743, 779 and so on, whereas in Burgundy, where the winemakers want smaller berries, a higher solid:juice ratio and lower yields, they are more likely to opt for 667, 777 or 828, for instance. Taking all such clones together, Pinot Noir accounts for about 38% of the Champagne plantings, and its spiritual home within the appellation is around the Montagne de Reims, where it dominates many of the vineyards around famous villages such as Mailly, Ambonnnay and Bouzy. Here it seems very suited to the chalky terroir, but there are also extensive plantings in the Aube, a more southerly outpost of the Champagne appellation, where it is planted on more marly soils. The variety acts not only as an essential component of all Champagne blends, but also provides red wine which may be included in small quantities in order to create a rosé Champagne.

Grape number two in terms of area planted is not Chardonnay, but Pinot Meunier, which accounts for about 33% of the vineyard. Unlike its two compatriots, Pinot Meunier is a variety very specific to Champagne, and extensive plantings are unlikely to be found outside the region; even the Champagne imitators in the New World tend to focus very much on the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay duet. Perhaps this is because Meunier is usually regarded as a hardy provider of volume, filling out a palate very nicely, but is not generally regarded as bringing finesse or longevity to a wine. The name Meunier translates as miller and is derived from the appearance of the leaves, which are said to look as though they have been coated with flour. It was first described in the 16th century, and its origin appears to lie within the Champagne region, as evidenced by its fascinating genetic make-up. Its origin is in fact found within its vineyard neighbour, Meunier joining the ranks of many varieties - including Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris - which are mutations of Pinot Noir. In the case of Meunier there is a single point mutation in a gene essential for normal tendril development and growth, resulting in a smaller plant with characteristic leaves. Most unusual of all, however, is that this mutation only exists in the surface epithelial tissues; test any deeper part of the plant and the DNA obtained will be indistinguishable from Pinot Noir. The two are clearly very closely related.

The third variety in this vinous trio needs no lengthy introduction. Chardonnay (shown right) accounts for approximately 28% of the vines in Champagne, and its true home in this particular region has to be the Côte des Blancs, to the south of the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de Marne. There are great names here for Chardonnay, including Cramant, Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and again the soils here are chalky, very typical of the region. Whereas Pinot Noir brings richness and depth to a wine, and Meunier brings a mouth-filling substance, Chardonnay brings finesse, delicacy and freshness. As one component of a blend it plays an essential role, but it also has many fans when it acts in isolation in wines made using 100% Chardonnay, the blanc de blancs cuvée (as opposed to the blanc de noirs cuvée, made using only the Pinot varieties).

The eagle-eyed will no doubt have noticed that so far we have accounted for only 99% of the vineyard, and the reason for this is that a tiny percentage - actually much less than 1%, but I have been rounding the figures up or down as necessary - is planted to varieties other than the above three. These forgotten varieties, which may still be legally vinified (although new plantings are forbidden), include Petit Meslier, Arbanne, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris (sometimes referred to as Fromenteau), also the almost unheard of Pinot de juillet and Pinot rosé. Today the first four of these varieties (and probably the latter two as well) can still be found in the vineyard and a handful of growers are using them, usually as a constituent in a blend, although both Arbanne and Petit Meslier can be tasted in dedicated cuvées made using that variety and no other from Duval-Leroy and Moutard (and probably others too) respectively. I am not so sure about Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris being used in the same way.

Other varieties have also played a role in Champagne, historically at least, and perhaps of most interest is Gamay. Champagne guru Tom Stevenson, writing in The World of Fine Wine (Issue 24, p.46), has gone on record as being a supporter of Gamay's use in producing sparkling wines, and indeed Gamay was once a strong feature in the vineyards of the Aube. It was when the Aube was awarded the Champagne appellation in 1927 that Gamay saw the beginning of the end. Under the appellation regulations it was not a permitted variety; new plantings were outlawed, and already established vineyards were to be replanted by 1945, and although there was a reprieve, the deadline being extended to 1952 and then 1962, today there is very unlikely to be much Gamay to be found there.

Making the Vins Clairs

Whatever the wine region in question, harvest time is hectic. I have witnessed this first-hand in the back streets of Aÿ, as the fruit arrives in the cellars, ready for pressing, the beginning of a journey that will typically end three or four years later as the wine is shipped to its ultimate market. This next section of my guide looks at what happens once the harvested fruit arrives in the cellars, taking it from raw material through to the production of the vins clairs, the still wines which are used to make Champagne.

First, the freshly-harvested fruit is loaded into the press, in most cases vertical presses of a traditional design, fabricated from wood and iron, although more modern cellars may make use of stainless steel cylindrical pneumatic presses. A traditional Champagne press will take 4000 kg of fruit, in whole bunches, a quantity that may yield (by appellation regulations) no more than 2550 litres of juice (equivalent to 3400 bottles). Even before the press is lowered the sheer weight of fruit begins to crush those berries that lie at the bottom, and the juice is already beginning to trickle from the vat. Once the lid is closed and pressure applied, however, the flow picks up to a more impressive and steady stream of juice. Sulphur is added very soon, as oxidation is a great concern, and in order to extract the maximum juice the lid may be raised and the now-solid cake of pressed fruit beneath cut up and turned over, piling it up at the centre in order to press it more effectively. This process, which I have illustrated in the video below, is repeated until the 2550-litre target has been reached.

Not all juice, however, is equal; this is true not just of Champagne but of any other wine region. Think of Bordeaux for instance, and how the press wines - the robust, dark, inky, tannin-rich final pressings - are blended in very judiciously. Here in Champagne the distinction between the early and later pressings is strictly formalised; the first 2050 litres (approximately 80%) obtained is the cuvée, and this is the most desirable portion. The following 500 litres (the subsequent 20%), is the taille, less fine than the cuvée. This juice is richer, may well be more heavily stained with colour (if from Pinot Noir or Meunier) and will carry more skin-derived elements, including tannin. A chef de cave may use this as a component in a blend, or it may be sold off in its entirety, depending on the philosophy of the producer in question. The taille was once larger and itself subdivided, into the première taille (410 litres) and the deuxième taille (205 litres) but these two components have been superseded by the single smaller category.

The freshly pressed juice is then left to rest, often at a reduced temperature, a process known as débourbage which allows solid materials to settle out before the next step which is of course the alcoholic fermentation. This is typically undertaken in stainless steel, although some, including Bollinger, Krug and an increasing number of other houses and growers, make at least some use of oak at this stage. The resulting vins clairs - the still base wines from which the Champagne will ultimately be fashioned - may also undergo malolactic fermentation, with Lanson being the obvious - but not solitary - exception to this generality.

The embryonic wines will then take one of two routes; the first may well be into storage for future blending. The vast majority of Champagne houses produce a blended non-vintage cuvée, an introduction to the house style and a leading revenue generator for many, and the production of these wines is dependent upon a good library of stored wines for blending in. In the majority of cases they will be stored in steel vat, although there are exceptions, such as Bollinger, where the wines are stored in magnum, under cork. Once these vital stocks have been assured what remains many be used either for a single-vintage cuvée should the quality be sufficient, or as a base wine for the aforementioned non-vintage cuvée. If the latter the blend will be decided from a tasting of the vins clairs, possibly by one person, possibly by a tasting committee. If there is any mysticism to the process of producing Champagne, then surely it is here. Most of us have had at some point or other difficulties predicting how a finished wine will age upon tasting it; predicting what will happen with a wine that is yet to undergo a second fermentation and then perhaps three years (or many more) of ageing on the lees is another thing altogether. Once the decision has been made though, and the wine assembled, it is time to add the sparkle, and that is the focus of my next instalment.

• Part 4: Adding the Sparkle