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"Grand Cru" Champagnes: Regional Excellence

The Champagne region is world-renowned for its sparkling wines, embodying elegance and refinement. At the heart of this prestigious reputation, Grand Cru Champagnes represent the region’s finest terroirs.

The Origins of Grands Crus in Champagne

The history of the “Grand Cru” and “Premier Cru” designations in Champagne dates back to the early 20th century. Indeed, it was in 1919 that the region established an official classification by producing village. This classification aimed to recognize the exceptional quality of grapes produced in certain areas in order to better highlight their value.

In fact, the classification of a village as Premier Cru or Grand Cru still today has a significant impact on the price per kilo of grapes produced there. But let’s return to our classification. Within this hierarchy, we distinguish between Premier Crus and Grand Crus. The Premier Crus, numbering 42, already represent an elite among the region’s vineyards. These villages often offer a superior quality of grapes and, consequently, higher prices than average.

The Grands Crus villages, at the top of the quality pyramid, are 17 and define Champagne excellence. The most well-known among them are Avize, Aÿ, Ambonnay, Mailly-Champagne, Bouzy, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, and Verzenay.

These 17 villages cover 4,000 hectares and represent just over 11% of the total area of the Champagne vineyard (34,300 hectares). In total, 11 villages are located within the Montagne de Reims and 6 in the Côte des Blancs.

The unique characteristics of Grands Crus champagnes

There are several styles of Grands Crus champagnes and not just one. Nevertheless, all stand out for their complexity, aromatic depth, and finesse. The region’s emblematic grape varieties, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, reveal a particularly intense character here.

Blanc de Blancs Champagnes

The “Grand Cru” Champagnes from the Côte des Blancs are crafted from the Chardonnay grape variety. These Blanc de Blancs captivate with their freshness, minerality, and delicate floral notes. Among the renowned villages in this part of Champagne, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger are especially distinguished. This type of champagne is ideal for those who appreciate finesse and elegance.

Blanc de Noirs Campagnes

“Grand Cru” Blanc de Noirs Champagnes are made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grape varieties, either blended or as a single varietal. These cuvées often offer a more powerful and structured expression.

Blanc de Noirs are often found in villages such as Mailly or Bouzy, specialists in the style, where the Pinot Noir grape gives the bottles particularly winy and deep aromas.

Rosé Champagne

Rosé Champagne captivates with its delicate color and fruity aromas, offering a refined tasting experience. It is mainly available as brut and can be produced in two distinct ways.

Either by macerating black grapes before pressing (rosé de saignée), a method that allows the extraction of the color and aromatic richness from the grape skins, giving the wine a deeper hue and intense flavors.

Or by blending, by adding a small amount of Champagne red wine to the champagne. The color is then more subtle and the result offers a fine and unique aromatic complexity.

Rosé champagne perfectly combines visual elegance and rich taste, making it a popular choice for celebrations.

The villages classified as Grand Crus

There are 17 villages in Champagne whose vineyards are classified as "Grand Cru". These communes are located exclusively in the Montagne de Reims as well as in the Côte des Blancs.

Indeed, to this day, neither the Vallée de la Marne nor the Côte des Bar have any villages classified as "Grand Cru". Furthermore, although the villages of Aÿ and Tours-sur-Marne are geographically situated in the Vallée de la Marne, they are nevertheless attached to the Montagne de Reims for historical reasons relating to the quality and style of the wines produced there.

Montagne de Reims (Predominantly Pinot Noir)

• Aÿ : Powerful and fruity Champagnes
• Tours-sur-Marne : Harmonious, balanced Champagnes with beautiful roundness
• Ambonnay : Powerful and structured Champagnes
• Verzy : Fleshy, structured and persistent Champagnes
• Louvois : Complex and persistent Champagnes
• Mailly-Champagne : Elegant Champagnes with aromas of red fruits and spices
• Puisieulx : Structured Champagnes with aromas of dark fruits and spices
• Sillery : Fruity, balanced and complex Champagnes
• Beaumont-sur-Vesle: Elegant, structured, fruity Champagnes with beautiful minerality
• Bouzy: Rich, opulent, full-bodied Champagnes
• Verzenay: Intense, deep, complex, and structured Champagnes

Côte des Blancs (Chardonnay dominant)

• Avize: Refined, mineral, and floral Champagnes
• Chouilly: Delicate, fresh, and aromatic Champagnes
• Cramant: Pure Champagnes with aromas of white fruits and white flowers
• Oger: Distinguished Champagnes with notes of brioche and white fruits
• Mesnil-sur-Oger: Mineral, lively, and refined Champagnes
• Oiry: Elegant, floral, and delicate Champagnes

A varied selection delivered to your door 

At La Cave Éclairée, our entire selection is guaranteed in stock ! Furthermore, for us, quality, whether in service or product, is our top priority. That’s why we offer you the option to choose between delivery to a pick-up point (affordable and flexible), home delivery (convenient and reliable), or even express home delivery for those of you in a hurry !

Furthermore, if you have any doubts about choosing your favorite sparkling wine, don’t hesitate to call us, we will be happy to guide you in your decision as best as we can. From Grand Cru to classic Brut, including your delicious rosé champagne, we will provide the same level of care in assisting you !

The selection is also intentionally eclectic, ranging from small family estates (Domaine Pierre Paillard, Domaine Veuve Fourny, Domaine Franck Bonville etc.) at the great houses of quality (house Perrier-Jouët, house Charles Heidsieck or even house Philipponnat etc.)

You now know everything about the Grands Crus of Champagne ! All that’s left is to make your choice from our stock ! Thanks to La Cave Éclairée, you have access to a diverse selection of exceptional wines, from blanc de blancs champagne to rosé champagne, including your usual favorite bottle! With us, there is something for every taste and every budget !

Don’t wait any longer to discover and savor the best of AOC Champagne ! Also, feel free to give us your feedback, either by leaving positive reviews on Google or by posting product reviews directly on our website.We look forward to your feedback !