Definition: blending champagne

It is the harmonious and delicate symbiosis of all these characteristics that gives rise to a unique wine, whose synergy of aromas will be revealed after bottling and "secondary fermentation" in a closed container. The combination of these specific characteristics creates a chorus of melodic and intoxicating accents. In most cases, the cellar master completes the cuvée de tirage with a certain proportion of old wines or "reserve wines"; this is to give the cuvée more mellowness, improve the maturation of a wine that is still young, ensure the permanence of the "house" taste and bring certain complementary elements to the wines of the year that they are lacking. These wines, filtered and stored in casks or vats protected from the air, come from previous harvests. The result is a "non-vintage" wine, which will take at least 15 months to develop in the bottle, this being the minimum period required by AOC regulations between bottling and sale. If, on the other hand, the product of a given year has exceptional characteristics or qualities, the blend is made using only wines from that year. This is known as a "vintage" wine, with the year or "vintage" indicated on the label and the bottle's cork. In this case, a minimum of three years of ageing between bottling and disgorging is required by AOC regulations. As a vintage is characterised by its strong character, it is understandable that it is more difficult to compare, unlike blended vintages, which guarantee consistency of taste. There are Champagnes made exclusively from a blend of white grapes. Called "blanc de blancs", they are considered particularly fine, elegant and light. Made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, they are composed of grapes from the same year or from different years, depending on whether they are vintage or non-vintage, and from one or more crus, depending on whether they are "monocrus" or not. The origin of the grapes also has a major influence: depending on whether they come from the eastern part of the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blancs, the Sézannais or the Côte des Bar, Chardonnays are more or less refined or full-bodied, and one can detect aromas of dried or white fruits, citrus fruits or flowers. In contrast, "blanc de noirs" is made exclusively from black grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It can be vintage or single-vineyard. Powerful and with a beautiful length on the palate, it reflects its terroir and has an animal character, with aromas of leather, musk and small game. Often vintage, "rosé" is a wine obtained using two processes: either by macerating black grapes in the must until the desired colour is obtained, or by blending the juice of these red grapes with the cuvée. Whether vintage or not, "special" cuvées, also known as "prestige" cuvées, represent the flagship of a brand and are distinguished by their quality due to the choice of grape varieties, vintages and the length of ageing. They bear prestigious and evocative names (e.g. Cristal, Dom Pérignon, Grand Siècle, Comtes de Champagne, etc.) and their bottles may have been created in an original way, either in terms of shape or decoration (Célébris, Spécial Club, Taittinger Collection, Belle Epoque, etc.).
This stage of blending remains the highlight of the Champagne tradition and guarantees the longevity of the tastes and flavours of the wines produced by the Champagne Houses.