{"id":13842,"date":"2016-11-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-11T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/grand-cru-champagne-the-basics"},"modified":"2018-01-03T13:07:05","modified_gmt":"2018-01-03T12:07:05","slug":"grand-cru-champagne-the-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/en\/grand-cru-champagne-the-basics","title":{"rendered":"Grand Cru Champagne: The basics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Understanding wine labels<\/span><\/a> can be tricky at the best of times, particularly when different terms have different meanings from one region to another. The term \u201cgrand cru<\/strong>\u201d is a great example. The French phrase translates to \u201cgreat growth\u201d, and in very general terms a wine designated as a grand cru <\/span>should <\/span><\/i>come from a particularly good vineyard.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Grand Cru classification(s)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This would be all well and good, but the term \u201cgrand cru\u201d on a wine label means one thing on the left bank of Bordeaux and another on the right bank, referring to two different classifications. There is another grand cru classification covering the Graves subregion, although the top estate in Graves, Ch\u00e2teau Haut-Brion, is not part of the Graves classification. Within the distinction \u201cgrand cru\u201d you may have up to \u00a0five subdivisions, each with its own level of implied quality. It\u2019s different again in Burgundy, and yet again in Champagne. Sounds quite complicated, right? Let\u2019s try to understand it a little better by taking the case of Grand Cru Champagne.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Grand Cru Champagne<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>Champagne<\/span><\/a> region in northern France produces the world\u2019s greatest sparkling wines. They make a lot of wine, though, and the region covers a lot of ground – 33,500 hectares of vineyards. In 1911, the region established something called the <\/span>Echelle des Crus<\/span><\/i>, a classification of sorts to establish the best villages within the region. <\/span><\/p>\n

Grand Cru Champagne was designated as coming from only those villages that scored a perfect 100% rating as a part of this system. A wine labelled Grand Cru Champagne must thus come exclusively from vineyards within these villages. In the first classification, there were 12 such villages identified. A subsequent revision in 1985 promoted 5 more villages, for a total of 17 Grand Cru Champagne villages. Some of the best known Grand Cru villages are:<\/span><\/p>\n