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Regions & Villages: Valleys & Slopes

Having circled the Montagne de Reims we now find ourselves looking down into a valley, the result of many years of erosion by the Marne, Champagne's most significant river. This waterway arises some way to the southwest near Langres, closer to the vineyards of the Côte d'Or than those of Champagne. From here it flows north and then west, before kinking north and then west again as it courses towards the Montagne de Reims and the vineyards of Champagne. It passes south of Ambonnay and Bouzy, separated from them by a sweep of arable land, crops planted on the alluvial deposits of the river, and it is not until Bisseuil, just short of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and then Aÿ that the river really meets its first vineyards. Admittedly it does first sweep past Tours-sur-Marne, a grand cru village of questionable qualification, but this town's vineyards are higher up on the slope, next to those of Bouzy. Nevertheless, at Bisseuil we have reached, without a doubt, Champagne's next viticultural region, the Vallée de la Marne.

The vineyards of the Vallée de la Marne are not quite contiguous with those of the Montagne de Reims, but there is little that separates them. As the vineyards of the latter peter out with Bouzy and Louvois, they are replaced largely by fields of crops, with the occasional vineyard scattered here and there. But this stuttering break in Champagne's vineyard lasts only two or three kilometres before we reach the vineyards of Avenay-Val-d'Or, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Aÿ itself, and from here on the river is accompanied by a seemingly never-ending stretch of vines. It is not until Château-Thierry, some 50-or-so kilometres to the west, that the river finally leaves behind these vines to continue on its journey, one which terminates when it empties its waters into the Seine. So this is a very sizeable vineyard, providing a huge amount of fruit for the growers and grandes marques alike. Nevertheless all the excitement, in the shape of classified villages, is to be found at its eastern extreme, close to the Montagne de Reims.

Valley Terroir

As I have already suggested the distribution of vineyards is strongly driven by the soils, in particular the the alluvial deposits of the Marne. Much of the land on the valley floor along which the river snakes is covered by fields or buildings, and it is only higher up the slopes, on both banks of the river, that the vineyards come to dominate (this is illustrated below by the view of Aÿ sitting in the valley, taken from the vineyards above). Rather like the vines that run around the Montagne de Reims, those here run up the hillsides until they give way to the trees at the very top. Here chalk, mostly the favoured belemnite form, is the principal material underfoot, and hence the land is very desirable for those wishing to plant more vines.

Of course the region is not entirely chalk, and other soil types are mixed in here, especially in the more superficial layers. There are areas of sand and sandstone, loess and lignite, and as you move west along the valley these less favourable materials quickly become more and more prominent, the seam of chalking thinning away to a whisper, before vanishing altogether. In fact, much of the valley features these lesser soils, the chalk disappearing just a few kilometres west of Epernay. This fact explains the absence of any grand and premier cru villages west of Cumières, and makes clear why all the action is at the valley's eastern end, where it lies sandwiched between the vineyards of the Montagne de Reims to the north, and the Côte des Blancs to the south.

The Villages of the Vallée de la Marne

There are two grand cru villages here, the first being Tours-sur-Marne, a riverside town associated with a small collection of vineyards which lie higher up the slope away from the alluvial soils. There are around 50 hectares of vines, about two-thirds Pinot Noir, and it is not a highly regarded grand cru. Just a little further downstream, however, is Aÿ (or Aÿ-Champagne, pictured above), an important grand cru both in terms of its vineyards and also in playing host to the offices and facilities of a number of leading Champagne houses. The vines account for about 350 hectares of land, so this is a sizeable vineyard, and are dominated by Pinot Noir, which account for around 80%. They run east, back up the riverside above Mareuil-sur-Aÿ towards Mutigny and Avenay-Val-d'Or, and also to the west, towards Dizy. The aspect is superb, many of the vines enjoying a south and south-west facing position, including the Côte aux Enfants, a lieu-dit in the centre owned by Bollinger which is used as a source of Pinot Noir for blending but, as is the case with Bouzy, can also be found as a still red wine.

There are also a small handful of premier cru villages here, documented in the box above, together with a list of notable domaines and houses, all based in the region or associated with it through extensive ownership of vineyards. Naturally many of these larger houses will be based in Aÿ.

The Côtes des Blancs

Completing the trio of the central Champagne regions is the Côte des Blancs, a scattering of vineyards running south from Epernay, which lies on the south bank of the Marne. As the name suggests, it is a region which contributes the highest quality white grapes into Champagne's melting pot, in contrast with the Montagne de Reims which reaches its apogee with Pinot Noir. The terroir of the Côte des Blancs is of course chalk, principally belemnite, with traces of the micraster variety at the peripheries. It is perhaps less profound than the Montagne de Reims, less deep and more sandy in areas. Alongside the chalk, areas of sandstone, clay and lignite all play some role.

The Villages of the Côtes des Blancs

The grand cru villages of the Côtes des Blancs number just six, and our short exploration of these favoured sites begins with Oiry and Chouilly, to the east of Epernay. These two Côte des Blancs grands crus lie on the edge of the alluvial plain of the Marne, opposite Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, in each case the vines a little distance away, to the south. Oiry has about 80 hectares, almost entirely Chardonnay, all situated on the slopes of the Butte de Saran, a tree-topped elevation to the southwest close to Cramant. Chouilly meanwhile has a much more impressive 500 hectares, holding grand cru status for its white grapes but only premier cru for the tiny amount of Pinot that can be found here. Again most of these vines are found around the Butte de Saran, although there are a few scattered on the alluvial land and close to Épernay.

Next up are some considerably more famous names, starting with Cramant, a village which sits sandwiched between the Butte de Saran and the woods that sit atop the Côtes des Blancs. There are about 320 hectares here, dedicated entirely to Chardonnay. Then, running south along the D10 there comes Avize, a village surrounded by a 260-hectare sea purely of Chardonnay, a body of vines which runs up the slopes to the Bois d'Avize at the top. Next is Oger and its 380-or-so hectares of Chardonnay, closely followed by Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the final grand cru outpost before a few more kilometeres down the we reach Vertus, a premier cru with a fine reputation. Le Mesnil, like its Côtes des Blancs peers offers the blenders of the region a fine stream of fragrant Chardonnay fruit, and of course it is also home to a famous Krug vineyard, Clos du Mesnil.

The Côte de Sézanne and the Côte des Bar

With this brief study of the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs we have covered the heart of the Champagne region, its nucleus. But it would not be an adequate examination of the region without some detail on Champagne's two other significant viticultural areas, the Côte de Sézanne and the Côte des Bar, the latter sometimes referred to as the Aube.

The Côte de Sézanne lies a little way southwest of the Côte des Blancs, perhaps about 10 miles away. A region dominate by Chardonnay, the terroir is characterised by both belemnite and micraster chalk in the more northerly sections, but also by marl, clay, sandstone and sand further south. This region can provide attractive and flavoursome fruit, but does not provide the elegance that can be found on the Côtes des Blancs.

Much further south, quite distant from the major Champagne vineyards lie those of the Côte des Bar or Aube. Here the terroir is very different, predominantly Kimmeridgian like that found in Chablis (which at only 40-or-so miles to the south-west is closer than Reims), as well as Portlandian limestone (again like some areas of Chablis) and gravel. We are also further south, meaning a warmer clime. In further contrast to the Côte de Sézanne Pinot Noir dominates here, although again the style is full and fruit-driven rather than one of extreme finesse. The most notable destination here is perhaps Riceys, source of the little-known and little-seen but once famous Rosé de Riceys, a favourite of Louis XIV apparently. The region is also a source of red Coteaux Champenois.

I hope that these latter two instalments of my guide have helped, to some extent at least, to demystify how the wines of Champagne can be related to their origins. It will always be a difficult task with some producers, as so much can be hidden behind the chef de cave's smokescreen of cross-regional blending and reserve wines. But sometimes a brief glimpse of terroir and origin can be obtained, even if it requires a little sleuth-work to see it. Of course with small growers, working with a discrete portfolio of vineyards, the connection is much easier to make. And when that happens I hope the words I have written here on the regions of Champagne, their grands and premiers crus, their varieties and terroirs will be of some use.

• Part 7: Grandes Marques & Growers