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Champagne Grand Cru: what does it mean?
DEFINITION OF CRU
Cru: "a term of many meanings used in the world of wine to designate a specific vineyard, a terroir or a production region, and the wine or eau-de-vie made from it." Hachette Wine Dictionary, Michel Dovaz
This typical French word does not have the same meaning depending on the region where you are.
- In Bordeaux, the notion of Cru refers to the production of a château or to indicate a vintage.
- In Burgundy the notion of Cru refers to a plot or group of plots of vines, usually a lieu-dit.
- In Champagne "Cru" is a wine-producing village.
THE NOTION OF CRU IN CHAMPAGNE
In Champagne, the notion of Cru applies to entire villages.
Each province produces wines of different quality depending on the exposure and the terroir occupied by its vineyards. The best terroirs, the most chalky, give the best grapes and each province is considered a Cru.
The villages are classified according to a scale of Crus which goes from 100% to 80% according to the quality of the grapes produced.
The mention Grand Cru or Premier Cru can be put on the label, but it should be noted that only Cuvées made with grapes coming entirely from one or more Grands Crus or Premiers Crus villages may indicate this on their labels.
However, due to the practice of blending grapes or must from different Crus, this classification is less used by the Grandes Maisons.
This scale only reflects the quality of the grapes and not that of the Champagne.
HISTORY
According to a Champagne legend, the famous Crus scale was based on the distance the grapes were transported to the pressing site.
In other words, the shorter the distance, the higher the classification of the Cru.
In reality, the notions of Grand Cru and Premier Cru correspond to the classification in the scale of the Crus which was instituted in the 18th century by the Champagne region to enable them to classify their production.
To establish and determine it, everything was taken into account: the geology, the microclimates, the exposure, the altitude, the prevailing winds and this according to several criteria (the grape variety, the age of the vines, the vinification etc.).
A village, Cru, can be classified by a percentage between 80 and 100%.
SCALE OF CRUS
Within this range, there are three denominations of Crus in Champagne:
- Champagne Grand Cru
The Champagne Grand Cru is made with grapes harvested in the communes classified 100%. (17 communes of which 11 are located in the Montagne de Reims and 6 in the Côte des Blancs)
- Champagne Premier Cru
The Champagne Premier Cru is made with grapes harvested in the communes classified 90 to 99%. (44 communes located in the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blancs and around Épernay)
- Champagne
Champagne is made from grapes harvested in the communes classified 89% to 80%. Only the word Champagne appears on the label.
SCALE OF THE CRUS AND PRICE OF THE GRAPES
In Champagne, a very large part of the grape production is bought by the major Champagne houses, which produce their own Cuvées.
The Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne sets the basic price of the grapes.
This basic price corresponds to one kilo of "Grand Cru" grapes.
The selling price of the grapes from the winegrower to the wine merchant will depend on the classification of the commune in the scale of the Crus:
- Grapes from communes classified as "Grand Cru" will be paid at 100% of the base price.
- Grapes from "Premier Cru" communes will be paid between 90 and 99% of the base price depending on the commune.
- Grapes from the Champagne appellation will be paid between 89% and 80% of the basic price, depending on the commune.
As this system was not in line with EU competition law, it had to be abandoned in 2004.
However, it remains a reference to this day.
It will determine, during transactions between the Winegrowers (sellers) and the Champagne Houses (buyers), the real price per kilo of grapes calculated according to a base price fixed before the harvest.
It should be noted that certain communes do not benefit from an identical percentage for black and white grapes.
Now it's finally time to taste our top Champagnes from the various Crus!
rendez-vous at our online Boutique!
Cheers et à votre santé!
