Champagne and its terroirs

The literature on wine that usually does very little room for Champagne vineyards: The subject is often obscured by the description of the peculiar development of champagne but above all it must be admitted that the joints often hinder any characterization of the soil . The purpose of the Champagne houses of reaching a constant taste, they use grapes from different areas of the Champagne region to achieve the desired result.


However, beside these brand champagnes, there are more and more often in the mouths of fans the name of the best winemakers. The winemakers are more applied to express the terroir of their vineyard, to give expression to the personality of their wines. This trend is definitely there, and it is this approach that is more exciting to follow in Champagne for we are amateurs.

VINEYARD LOCATED IN THE NORTH OF THE F RANCE

THE development of quality sparkling wines requires grapes with good maturity while maintaining a high level of acidity. By its geographical position, Champagne has a climate which balanced the continental and oceanic influences. Its location, north of France, for a very northerly vineyard allows him to have enough acidity annually.

VINEYARD COTEAUX

we must look at the geological conformation of the Paris basin to understand what makes its unique position:

Consequence of the collapse of central Paris Basin and the Alpine folding, the layers formed toughest terrain of the coast or “cuesta” in concentric rings. For travelers departing from Paris to Metz, the descents are fast and short and long climbs and sweet. Is on the side of the coast that the vine finds fertile soil.

Chalk Champagne does play a big role: This form of pure limestone not only offers the advantage of being able to dig deep cellars ideal for storage of wines, but especially the drainage properties of chalk avoid excessive moisture, giving the vines the ideal amount of water: When wet, the water rapidly descending into the depths. In dry weather, the water rises by capillary action sparingly.

Unlike other regions, the roots are concentrated on the first layer of soil. They do not dig deep into the rock. The old vines are also perhaps a little less common than in the rest of France, but there are vines over 50 years with the best winemakers.

So the combination of these favorable factors that makes the Champagne terroir unique.