New years has past, but Valentine’s approaches; there is
always an occasions to enjoy a good sparkling wine. If you love bubbly, but
have a discerning pallet, then then consider Crémant, an often overlooked and undervalued alternative to
Champagne. This designation of sparkling wine can be found in seven different
regions in France, offering quality and character without the price tag of Dom Pérignon. As a true Championese alternative, Crémant provides a unique portrait of the local terroir and
craftsmanship through the medium of méthode.
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| A Champenoise Tradition |
Crémant is defined by its Méthode Champenoise style that
gets its name from the region of Champagne in the Northeast of France. The
Crémant name is itself from Champagne as well, where before 1985 the term was
used to describe the slightly less effervescent, or gentler sparkling wines
from the region.
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| Dark Skinned Pinot Meunier |
Traditionally the first step in the Méthode is to make a still
(non-sparkling) cuvée blended from Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir and dark skinned Pinot Meunier. This blend is bottled
and a touch of sugar is added to each, before being capped like a beer bottle.
Sugar reinvigorates natural yeasts causing the wine to ferment and to produce
the co2 that is responsible for the carbonating the wine. During this ‘secondary
fermentation’ the bottles are stored with their necks facing down to allow
sediment -also known as the ‘lees’ - to collect near the cap.
Typically with the Méthode
Champenoise, the wine is allowed to ‘lie on lees’ for a minimum of six months.
Most Crémant AOC’s are even stricter though, enforcing 9 months on less, and a
year in bottle before release. This aging allows the lees to impart much flavor and character on the wine process, transforming a common
cuvée into an elegant Crémant.
Before these sparkling wines are ready to be corked and shipped around
the world for consumption, they must be clarified. In order to do so the wine
under goes a process known as disgorgement.
Wine-makers freeze the neck of each bottle, effectively trapping the lees at
the bottle’s mouth. The bottles are then un-capped and the pressure inside
forces out the frozen wine and sediment along with it.
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| Pressure pushes sediment out |
Crémant wines are produced in various geographical locations in France.
There are seven controlled appellations of origin or AOC’s
that produce sparkling wine that adheres to the strict guidelines for Crémant.
In eastern France, along the German boarder in the region of Alsace,
varietals like Riesling,
Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris
are used to create spectacular sparkling wines under the Crémant D’Alsace AOC.
The appellation’s production accounts for about 50% of all Crémant wines on the
market today.
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| Alsace, fantastic honey, apple ~$20 |
South of Alsace, in the French Compté,
just above the Swiss boarder lies the region of Jura. Jura
produces many styles of wine, but its Crémant is especially unique compared to
its contemporaries. With a climate similar to Burgundy, Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir grow well here. But it is the region’s indigenous varietals that add a
lively uniqueness to this Champenoise expression. There is Savagnin, an
ancient white grape, and two red varietals including the pale skinned Poulsard and
its dark counterpart Trousseau, also known as Bastardo in the Spain
and Portugal.
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| Jura, rosé, unique, floral ~$21 |
Poulsard’s pale skins provide a unique dexterity for this
grape, as it is often used to make rosé and Blanc de Noir.
Trousseau, like Pinot Meunier serves to bolster blends of Pinot Noir, while
Poulsard is added in many cases to form a base for the regions rosé style of
Crémant. Savagnin with its green skins, is blended with Chardonnay to create
both still and sparkling wine throughout Jura. Often wine makers utilize the
varietal’s bright qualities in combination with under-ripe chardonnay to bring
a liveliness to white and rosé sparklings.
As one travels south from Jura and west along the foothills
of the Alpes, another Crémant AOC is not far. Crémant De Die is sparkling wine of the northern Rhône Valley. The Crémant
name is confusing here because the very same area also produces sparkling wine
under the Clairette de Die AOC. The Clairette AOC is significantly older, gaining recognition
in 1942 and differs in production method and varietals used there. These wines
undergo some primary and all secondary fermentation in bottle and typically go
unclarified. Comprising mostly of Muscat Blanc despite its namesake, Clairette
makes up only about 25% of the Clairette AOC blend.
The Crémant AOC on the other hand employs mostly the white Clairette
grape (not to be mistaken with Claret from Bordeaux) and the Burgundian
varietal Aligote,
which adds acidity, as well as some Muscat Blanc.
Heading west on the Riveria into Languedoc-Roussillon
there is Crémant De Limoux. Just West of Corbières the region produces and Sparkling wines of a
traditional method similar to Clairette de Die as well as a Champenoise style
brut. Blanquettede Limoux is a traditional beverage of the region. Hailed as the first
French sparkling wine, it far predates Champagne’s rise to fame with is roots
dating to the 16th century. Blanquette de Limoux and Blanquette Méthode Ancestrial are both AOC’s in the same region that produce sparkling
wines from the white Mauzac grape. The wines are lower in
alcohol and tend to carry some sweetness and are popular as aperitifs and dessert
wines.
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| Limoux: creamy, rustic ~ $18 |
The Crémant designation does use some Mauzac but is
comprised of mostly Chardonnay. Chenin Blanc makes up a quarter to a third of
the blend typically. Pinot Noir comprises often less than 10% and Mauzac fills
out the rest. Crémant de Limoux can be creamy with honey and apple notes. Both
Mediterranean and Atlantic influences shape these wines, while a unique
composition of clay and limestone contributes to their complexity.
As one heads north from Languedoc, towards Medoc, There lies one of
most acclaimed wine regions, Bordeaux.
The appellation of the Chateau produces still wines - notably reds- that are
renowned around the world. The varietals that drive these infamous wines are in
their own right famous. Grapes like Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon are
prominent plantings throughout Europe and have found themselves as staples in
many vineyards globally.
Crémant de Bordeaux is derived from the same varietals as the most revered wines of
the region including Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère
filling out the red ranks, and whites: Semillon,
Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.
Although it may be common place to find a bottle St. Émilion on
any given wine list, a bottle of Crémant de Bordeaux will be harder to come by.
Despite a large number of villages designated within the AOC, steady demand for
the region’s still wines, has limited the number of its producers.
Despite their rarity, these wines feature honey and nuts
with while the addition of Semillon delivering floral notes and a grassy
crispness. Rosés carry a rich hue and have balanced fruit qualities with hints
of cassis and spice.
In good company to Bordeaux, its northerly sister of the Loire Valley, carries similar
prestige and in addition its own Crémant. In the center of the expansive Loire
region, just west of Tours is the focus of the AOC dedicated to sparklings. The
designation came in 1975 -almost 20 years prior to most other Crémant AOC’s- as
a way of exemplifying the Loire’s unique sparklings as a rival to those of
Champagne.
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| Still cellaring! ~$19 |
Although names like Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé tend to
garner the most attention when discussing Loire Wines, the Sauvignon Blanc that
constitutes both is not found in the region’s Crémant. Instead the Vouvray varietal: Chenin Blanc is prominent. Often Chardonnay, Cab Franc and Pinot Noir are added
for flavor and complexity. A creamy, buttery quality in these wines is balanced
by an elegant floral bouquet and all preserved by the careful craftsmanship
involved in the Champenoise method.
Traveling east from the Loire, passing underneath Paris and
heading slightly north; there is Burgundy. Ancestrial home of Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir, this region of the golden slope features some the most ‘Climat’ centric
wines that deliver an unparalleled examination into tradition of viticulture.
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| A favorite producer ~$35 |
The Crémant de Bourgogne AOC spans the extent of Bourgogne appellation but bubbly from the chalky soils of Chablis, which lies to
the south-east of Paris; produces very different wines from the southerly
slopes D’Or. Flavors
include green apple, brioche, cherry, and mineral, all varying with each
producer and locality.
Despite the various terroirs, the varietals for all Crémant
de Bourgogne as well as Champagne are similar. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir play
the leading role in all of the wines, while Aligote, Melon de Bourgogne, and
Pinot Blanc enhance Burgundian Blanc de Blancs.
Although lacking Pinot Meunier, rosé and Blanc de Noirs (made from red grape
juice, but no skins) styles utilize varying amounts of Gamay,
from Beaujolais in the region’s
south. With Dijon located less than 200 miles south of Reims, Crémant de
Bourgogne is a perhaps the closest contender to its northern sister of
Champagne.
France’s many options for superior sparkling wine far exceed
Champagne, and at far less a cost. For your next occasion, or simply for casual
consumption consider Crémant. With seven different AOC’s dedicated to the
Champenoise expression, consider exploring France through the medium of
méthode.
