Champagne

Champagne is the world's most prestigious sparkling-wine region, where the méthode champenoise was perfected. Located 150 km northeast of Paris on chalk subsoils that retain warmth and water, the cool, marginal climate produces base wines of bracing acidity — the prerequisite for fine traditional-method bubbles. Three grapes dominate: Chardonnay (finesse), Pinot Noir (structure) and Pinot Meunier (fruit). The hierarchy runs across the great houses (Krug, Bollinger, Pol Roger…) and a vibrant grower-Champagne movement that has redefined the category over the last twenty years. Vintage Champagnes age for decades.