Champagne blending plays with the diversity of nature, crus, grape varieties and years.
There are three types of blending in Champagne:
The blending of vintages with different characteristics (the multi-faceted personality of the Champagne terroir creates infinite variations, these subtle factors generate all the uniqueness and expression of Champagne wines), the blending of grape varieties with complementary personalities and the blending of years with diverse qualities.
The2nd assemblage is a blend of wines from different grape varieties to create the contrasts and complementarities of Champagne wines.
Pinot Noir gives the wine aromas of red fruits, and is the grape variety that brings body and power to the blend.
Pinot Meunier is supple and fruity. Its bouquet is intense, evolving more rapidly over time and giving the wine roundness.
Chardonnay is the grape of finesse. When young, it brings floral and sometimes mineral notes to wines. Its slow development makes it an ideal complement for aging wines.
For the last type of blending, several criteria come into play. From one year to the next, climatic conditions in the Champagne region vary greatly. The quality of the grapes, and therefore of the musts and wines produced from them, depends on factors as diverse as frosts, sunshine, rainfall, etc...
Whatever its specificity, a blend almost always involves the three parameters mentioned above: terroir, grape variety and year.
Winemakers may, however, decide to work with only oneof these dimensions. For example, a vintage year may be reflected if it is deemed exceptional enough not to require reserve wines. With a single grape variety, we can create a Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs champagne. And if we're talking abouta single terroir, then we can reveal a cru unique for its own qualities.