Champagne's Ancient Grape Varieties (II) Tom Stevenson
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For further information and to subscribe to The World of Fine Wine, please visit Tom Stevenson www.worldoffinewine.com or call +44 020 7406 6790. continue my examination of Where does it grow today? but it was replanted in 1959—not in the Aube or indeed Champagne’s ancient varieties by Chardonnay was not listed Bligny, Buxeuil, Chamery, Charly-sur- Venteuil but in the lieu-dit of Corne Beautray, Dizy, Ilooking at where those that are still as an authorized variety Marne, Chavot-Courcourt Jouy-lès- by the Chiquet family, who would later come to own legal are growing today, who grows them, Reims, Oeuilly, Les Riceys, Urville, Jacquesson. Due to its difficulty to ripen in Champagne’s and who makes pure varietal cuvées. But until 2010. So, why was it Venteuil climate, the contribution of Petit Meslier to any cuvée first I will unravel the mystery of why missing in the first place? Who grows it? was initially to increase the acidity and reduce the alcohol, Chardonnay was not even mentioned in It was commonly referred Aubry, Château de Bligny, Drappier, pretty much as Petit Verdot did in Bordeaux. Its berries Champagne’s legislation until 1978. to in Champagne as Pinot Olivier Horiot, Laherte Frères, Jean- are very small, round, and dark yellow in color. In The law of July 27, 1927, authorized François Launay, Léguillette-Romelot, climates where it can ripen, it can have a resinous flavor, only “les diverses variétés de pinot, Chardonnay as recently as Moutard, Thomas Perseval, Perseval- as James Irvine in Australia’s Eden Valley demonstrated l'arbanne, le petit meslier” for the the 1980s, so “diverses Farge, Tarlant in the 1990s. (Irvine and Jacquesson had collaborated on production of Champagne, with no variétés de pinot” would Pure Arbanne cuvées? Petit Meslier.) reference to Chardonnay. This was still Arbane Pure (Olivier Horiot), Where does it grow today? the case when the decree-law of January have been understood Cépage Arbane (Moutard) Bligny, Buxeuil, Chamery, Charly-sur-Marne, Chavot- 17, 1978, became the first Champagne to include Chardonnay Courcourt Gyé-sur-Seine, Jouy-lès-Reims, Oeuilly, legislation to mention Chardonnay— Fromenteau Les Riceys, Urville, Venteuil not by adding it to the list of authorized Fromenteau (aka Pinot Gris) is a direct Who grows it? varieties but merely by slipping it into Pinot DNA, it does make me admire how mutation of Pinot Noir. The wines of Aubry, Robert Barbichon, Château de Bligny, Drappier, rules that modified the methods of in tune with nature those old-timers were Sillery owe their fame to this grape Duval-Leroy, Olivier Horiot, Jacquesson, Laherte Frères, pruning. It was a bit like modifying the to intuitively believe that Chardonnay under Nicolas Brûlart in the 17th century, Jean-François Launay, Léguillette-Romelot, Mignon- PGI for how Cornish pasties should be was a member of the Pinot family. Science whence it spread, becoming one of the Boulard, Moutard, Thomas Perseval, Perseval-Farge, crimped, only to discover that someone proved them wrong only to return a most prolific varieties in Champagne Tarlant had slipped chicken into the list of century later to prove them right. until the 19th century. By the 20th Pure varietal Petit Meslier cuvées? authorized ingredients! century, what was left of this variety Duval-Leroy Petit Meslier (formerly Authentis) In fact, Chardonnay was not listed Ancient survivors (mostly in the Aube) would usually as an authorized variety until 2010, when Arbanne, Fromenteau, Petit Meslier, and be mixed in with other grapes at the Pinot Blanc every AOC had to submit a new cahier Pinot Blanc enjoy a disproportionate presshouse. This will come as a surprise to many, but as recently as des charges. So, why was Chardonnay amount of publicity, since they represent Where does it grow today? 1900 this variety accounted for one third of Champagne, missing in the first place? just 103ha (255 acres), or less than 0.3 Chamery, Chavot-Courcourt, Crouttes- and its cultivation was concentrated in the Côte des Although Chardonnay was known percent of all the vines growing in sur-Marne, Jouy-lès-Reims, Les Riceys, Blancs, where Le Mesnil and Chouilly built their to be a distinct variety as long ago as Champagne today. Urville, Verzy reputations not on Chardonnay but on Pinot Blanc, 1868, it was commonly referred to in Who grows it? a direct mutation of the Pinot Noir alone. Unfortunately, Champagne as Pinot Chardonnay, even Arbanne Aubry, Dérot-Delugny, Drappier, Olivier there have been more disasters than successes with as recently as the 1980s, so there is little The earliest references to this grape date Horiot, Laherte Frères, Mouzon-Leroux, Pinot Blanc, because it can easily be overwhelmed by doubt that, in 1927, “diverses variétés de back to the 14th century in Les Riceys, Perseval-Farge oak and bâtonnage, but such failures are the fault of pinot” would have been understood to and by 1801 it was sufficiently well Pure Fromenteau cuvées? producers, not the variety. include Chardonnay (as well as Pinot regarded to be mentioned by Jean- Dérot-Delugny Cuvée des Fondateurs, Where does it grow today? Blanc, Pinot Gris, and, of course, Pinot Antoine Chaptal, who singled out the Drappier Trop M’en Faut Bligny, Buxeuil, Celles-sur-Ource, Charly-sur-Marne, Noir and Pinot Meunier). Aubois vineyards of Morveaux in Chavot-Courcourt, Landreville, Oeuilly, Polisot, What goes around comes around, Baroville. Two people are responsible for Petit Meslier Les Riceys, Urville as they say, and in 1999, the parentage of the revival of Arbanne: Lucien Moutard, Another ancient white Champagne Who grows it? Chardonnay was established as Gouais who replanted it in 1952, and his variety, Petit Meslier is a spontaneous Château de Bligny, Cédric Bouchard, Drappier, François Blanc x Pinot Noir. This not only made grandfather Henry Maréchaux, who had cross of Gouais Blanc x Savagnin Blanc. Gautherot, Olivier Horiot, Laherte Frères, Léguillette- it a “Pinot variety,” but in 2018 the maintained the variety in his nursery Its traditional home is the Aube, where Romelot, Moutard, Thomas Perseval, Piollot, Tarlant Chardonnay was determined to have since 1900. According to 19th-century it once accounted for 4.5 percent of Pure varietal Pinot Blanc cuvées? 49 percent DNA from the Pinot Noir accounts, Arbanne crops at very low the vineyards (ten times the popularity Roses de Jeanne La Bolorée (Cédric Bouchard), Pinot itself and 17 percent DNA from the yields and has such a distinctive aroma of Arbanne). It was also found in the Blanc Extra Brut (Chassenay d’Arce), Le Champ du Clos Gouais grape (revealing Pinot Noir as that even with a blend, local growers Marne département, where the Petit (Charles Dufour), Cuvée des Lys (Philippe Fontaine), part of the heritage of that grape for the would immediately exclaim, “Ah, Meslier of Venteuil enjoyed some repute. L'Originale (Pierre Gerbais), Colas Robin (Piollot), first time). With a total of 66 percent Arbanne!” when entering a cuverie. Plantations dwindled to almost nothing, Cuvée Heritage (Emmanuel Tassin). 76 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 69 | 2020 THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 69 | 2020 | 77.