Among the many steps necessary to craft Champagne wines, one is of paramount importance: the assemblage. Assemblage, or blending, is both the synthesis of all preceding steps and the expression of an irreversible choice. In the assemblage, Champagne makers blend together different base wines to create another wine, far superior in quality to the sum of its components. Known as the cuvée, the new wine is ideally suited to develop a sparkle in the bottle.
The Climate Factor
In order to better understand this mystery, it is necessary to examine the natural factors at play, as well as the skills and artistry of those who know how to master these elements and use them to craft wines with a unique style and personality.
The natural elements include the Terroir (soil) of Champagne, its soil, climate and grape varieties, while the human touch is based on experience, memory and creativity, in a quest to harmonize and balance the natural elements. Encompassing vines growing on different parts of its slopes, with different exposure to the sun, soil, drainage and microclimates, the terroir of Champagne is quite diverse. As a result, the grapes and the wines that it gives birth to display varied aromas and structures, characteristic of each growing site.
The natural elements include the Terroir (soil) of Champagne, its soil, climate and grape varieties, while the human touch is based on experience, memory and creativity, in a quest to harmonize and balance the natural elements. Encompassing vines growing on different parts of its slopes, with different exposure to the sun, soil, drainage and microclimates, the terroir of Champagne is quite diverse. As a result, the grapes and the wines that it gives birth to display varied aromas and structures, characteristic of each growing site.
These sites are organized according to geographic areas, such as the Montagne de Reims, the Vallee de la Marne, the Cote des Blancs and the Cote des Bar.
They are also known by the cru they belong to: Ambonnay, Verzy, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, Tours-sur-Marne, Ay, Hautvillers, Suzanne, etc. There are 312 of them. Each cru encompasses a mosaic of plots of vineyards, known as galipes in the Champagne language. There are more than 300,000 of them, divided among 19,000 owners. Many have names of their own, such as Les Mazeaux, Les Briquettes, Le Clos de Goisses, La Cote aux Enfants, Les Bertines, etc. Sometimes mysterious, these names reflect local history and lore.
The northern latitude of La Champagne (49 N) is a playing ground to the constant clash of oceanic and continental climates. They give the region a continually changing sky, annual average temperature around 50 F - borderline for growing grapes - and fewer sun hours than anywhere else in France, a particularity that explains one of Champagnes' unique characteristics, freshness. Consequently, the climatic variations caused by the interactions between landscape and climate are magnified and contribute to the individuality of each and every vineyard site. Moreover, climatic conditions vary a lot from year to year. As a result, the characteristics of the grapes and hence of the wines, enormously depend on the dangers of frost in winter and spring, and on the amount of sun, heat and rain at all the crucial times of the vineyard's life.
The Grapes
2- CHARDONNAY
3- PINOT MEUNIER
Faced with variable harvests, in quality and quantity, the Champagne producers figured out that they could protect themselves from nature's vagaries by constituting reserves in good "vendanges" or harvests, made of a portion of the year's better wines. These reserved wines are then used to complement the wines of future years when the wines are blended together. They become the guarantor of a producer's persistency of taste, character and style. The diversity in Champagne wines also stems from the grape varieties. Three are grown today exclusively, which have demonstrated their adaptation to Champagne's environment: black Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for 74% of the vineyards and white Chardonnay for 26%.
Pinot Noir gives aromas of red fruit to the wines; it also gives them body and power. Pinot Meunier is supple and fruity; its bouquet is intense. It matures faster and gives roundness to the wines. Chardonnay is the grape of delicacy and finesse. It gives floral and fruity aromas when young; it matures slowly and contributes ideally to the aging of Champagne wines.
Champagne Artistry
Now that the natural factors have been laid out, let's examine how the Champagne "assemblages" strive to master and transform the elements into a work of art.
In this pursuit, Champagne makers sometimes assemble together dozens of wines. Combination's are numerous; there is not one assemblage but many, yet each one is completely unique. Those who make them are creators, artists. Year after year, the artist's objective is to craft a wine that reflects a vision or perpetuates the vision of his predecessors. In so doing, a house-style emerges that can be recognized and that shines through its diverse expression, be it a classic cuvée, a Rosé, a Blanc de Blancs, avintage or a Prestige Cuvée.
To be successful, Champagne artists need three qualities:
An intimate knowledge of the vineyards, of the characters of the grapes from different sites and their complementarities; an impeccable tasting memory, penetrated of the style of the house and the experience of several generations and creativity.
Tasting after tasting, from November to March, the color, the aromas, the structure, the balance and the evolution of the wines are recorded. First the wines of the previous harvest are tasted over and over between November and March, then the reserve wines. Sensations are memorized, notes taken to envision the development of the wines beyond assemblage, beyond second fermentation and beyond cellar-aging. Assemblage can take between a few days and several weeks. Tests are made, opinions are gathered, and finally irreversible blending takes place. It will reflect the character and the traditions of the house or the grower who has created it.
Tasting after tasting, from November to March, the color, the aromas, the structure, the balance and the evolution of the wines are recorded. First the wines of the previous harvest are tasted over and over between November and March, then the reserve wines. Sensations are memorized, notes taken to envision the development of the wines beyond assemblage, beyond second fermentation and beyond cellar-aging. Assemblage can take between a few days and several weeks. Tests are made, opinions are gathered, and finally irreversible blending takes place. It will reflect the character and the traditions of the house or the grower who has created it.
Whatever these may be, most cuvées involve several crus, several grape varieties, several vintages. However, in very good years, some producers will decide to focus on one vintage only. In this case, no reserve wines are included in the assemblage. Others will opt for a Champagne Blanc de Blancs, or Blanc de Noirs. The former is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, the latter from black Pinots. Others still will showcase the characters of a single cru, rarely a single vineyard site, a clos. The Champagne makers have transformed assemblage into an art form, akin to creating perfumes or conducting an orchestra. With it they have transformed Champagne's fickle nature, its austere climate and chalky soil into a magic gift.
Rosé, Champagne Wines
Since they are made with a greater proportion of black grapes, Pinto Noir and/or Meunier, than their light gold counterpart brut Champagnes, rosé wines tend to be fruitier, albeit just as dry. Often their aromas evoke red fruit, strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants. Some rosé are made exclusively with black grapes, others contain up to 50% Chardonnay wines.
Two methods are used to produce rosé Champagnes. The first method adds some red wine from Champagne to the cuvée or assemblage at blending time.
The red wine is made from Pinot Noir from villages such as Bouzy, Cumires, Ambonnay, Ay. The second method uses maceration of the black grapes. The grapes are esteemed and left to macerate in the must until the desired shade of color is obtained. Then the must is racked and fermented. Like other brut Champagnes, rosé wines will vary in style from one producer to another. Some will be light bodied and others fuller, in keeping with the producer's philosophy.
Accordingly, rosé Champagnes too can be successfully paired with a variety of foods. A light rosé will make an attractive aperitif, while a full, mature, vintage rosé Champagnes will easily accompany a rack of lamb, with string beans and roasted garlic. Another suggestion would be to serve a soft, fruity and spicy rosé with a light dessert, such as a raspberry charlotte, a strawberry shortbread or a simple and refreshing fruit salad.