Montagne de Reims

Champagne · France · Wine Auction Prices

The Montagne de Reims is a forested plateau rising south of Reims, its south and east-facing slopes planted primarily to Pinot Noir that forms the backbone of many of Champagne's most powerful and structured prestige cuvées. The region's Grand Cru villages — Verzenay, Verzy, Louvois, Bouzy, and Ambonnay — produce Pinot Noir of exceptional depth, colour, and body, particularly from the north-facing slopes of Verzenay and Verzy where slower ripening produces the highest acid and the most age-worthy base wines. The great houses of Reims — Krug, Roederer, Ruinart, Gosset — draw heavily on Montagne de Reims Pinot Noir for their prestige cuvées. Krug's Grande Cuvée typically includes a significant proportion of Pinot Noir from Ambonnay; Roederer's Cristal is built primarily on Aÿ and Montagne de Reims Pinot Noir blended with Côte des Blancs Chardonnay. The still red wines of Bouzy — Bouzy Rouge — represent a fascinating sub-category: light, fragrant Pinot Noir that gives a glimpse of what Champagne's base wines taste like before transformation into sparkling wine.