Purchase of wine Champagne according to the grape varieties on Rouge-Blanc: merlot chardonnay pinot syrah carignan

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The term "cepage" (grape variety) indicates the different type of vine. For example, wines made from Muscat have a different taste to those from Sauvignon. Certain wines are made from several grape varieties, and are called blended wines. The wines selected are made from at least 50% of the chosen grape variety.

White grapes

Chardonnay

The great grape variety of fine Burgundy wines, Chardonnay is easy to grow because it flourishes in a wide range of climates, from the cool fringes of the Champagne region in the northern France to the hot Australian climate in the south. It is characterized by its powerful structure and wonderful aromas and flavours of lemon, apple, white peach, acacia, hawthorn, honeysuckle, nuts, fresh almonds, butter, honey, mushroom and brioche, which can be enhanced by an ageing in oak, almonds, toasted nuts, toast and vanilla spices. In hot climates we find more citrusy notes, exotic fruits and pineapple. Although grown throughout the world, it will forever be associated with Burgundy, its heartland: in Chablis, Meursault, or even Corton-Charlemagne, Puligny-Montrachet, and many others besides, where it finds a unique and majestic expression.

Sauvignon

With its lovely range of aromas, Sauvignon offers a pleasant balance in which the softness is wrapped in a soft crisp acidity, and a tasty fruitiness. A distinctive grape variety, it gives its best when drunk young, and does not really benefit from ageing. Richly flavoured, it can unleash notes of grapefruit, passion fruit, litchi, citrus fruits, guava, elderflower, rose, blackcurrant bud, acacia, lime tree, box tree, broom, rhubarb, asparagus, silex and flint. Unique to the wines of the central Loire Valley, notably Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, Sauvignon blends marvellously with Sémillon in Bordeaux. Thanks to their climates, it also produces great wines in New Zealand and Chile.

Riesling

Riesling is characterized by its wonderful lightness, acidity and finesse, as well as the richness of its aromas. Its expression varies considerably according to the terroir, with the finest Rieslings capable of ageing for twenty years or more. It is difficult to obtain very sweet Rieslings, as the grape variety is not as ameniable as Gewürztraminer to late harvesting, rarely attracting noble rot. The hallmark aromas include citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit, orange), peach, apricot, mango, exotic fruits and white flowers, acacia, lime tree, honeysuckle, hawthorn, green almonds, hay, box tree, petrol, mineral notes, flint, chalk, mint, fennel, spices, cinnamon and honey. In late-harvested or botrytized Rieslings, we find more pineapple, fern, beeswax and broom. This grape variety is grown in Alsace, Germany (especially the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheinhessen, Nahe, Pfalz and Rheingau), Austria (especially Wachau) and Australia (Clare and Eden Valleys), as well as the north of Italy.

Sémillon

Overshadowed by Chardonnay and Sauvignon, Semillon is at its most supreme when blended with the latter to produce lovely dry white wines, such as those of Graves, but more particularly the fine sweet wines of Sauternes. Its broad, fat lanolin character marries well with the crispness of Sauvignon. Semillon succumbs easily to noble rot, and is very resistent to diseases of the vine. It responds perfectly to being aged in oak and has an excellent capacity to develop a very lovely bouquet during the ageing process: honey, white flowers, acacia, fig, dried fruits, stewed fruits, almonds, fresh butter, cinnamon and vanilla. It can also be found in Monbazillac; while excellent results have been achieved in Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Australia (where it produces excellent wines made for ageing in the Hunter Valley).

Chenin

for ageing. Indeed, its name derives form Mont-Chenin at Comery. It has a high natural acidity in its youth that can evolve into a velvety sweetness with ageing. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between the dry, semi-dry and slightly sweet styles. Susceptible to nobel rot, Chenin is capable of producing fine, lusciously sweet wines, and has a good ageing potential. It offers a wide range of aromas: apple, ripe pear, quince, white flowers, dried fruits, cut hay, lime tree, soft spices and vanilla, as well as, for the very sweet wines, notes of dried apricots, quince, marzipan and praline. The most superlative Chenins are found in Savennières, Bonnezeaux, the Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume, Montlouis and Vouvray, as well as abroad in South Africa, and, more especially, California.

Gewurztraminer

that it can produce exceptional sweet wines. The trademark nose is that of lychees, rose petal, ripe grapefruit, exotic fruits, mirabelle plums, orange blossom, apricot, spices (particularly liquorice and pepper) and geranium. If sweet, late harvest or botrytized, we often find stewed fruits, honey, dates and sweets. This grape variety is little grown outside of the great terroirs of Alsace and Central Europe, as its intolerance to heat makes it a little flabby. It can, however, be found in New Zealand, thanks to its cooler climate.

Red grape varieties

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is unique: the only great red grape variety capable of ripening in a northern climate. It ripens early due to its thin skin, and is mostly low in tannin. In Burgundy, its heartland, it can express the infinite variations of the terroir like no other grape variety. There is nothing to compete with a grape variety of this type: a fine Burgundy Pinot Noir can't be compared to any other red wine. This grape variety is notoriously fussy about its climate and terroir. Planted outside of its Burgundy heartland it often flounders, in much the same way that viognier does outside of Condrieu. Difficult to export, it is a grape that doesn't respond well to high yields. Its trademark aromas are: small red or black fruits, blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry, redcurrant, dried prunes, violet; plus spices in its youth, as well as strawberry, fur, leather, musk, liquorice, soft spices, underwood, humus and truffles in more mature wines. Outside of Burgundy, it gives good results in Champagne, Germany (where it is known as Spätburgunder), Oregon and New Zealand..

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of grape varieties in the wine-making communes of the Haut-Médoc, its homeland. A late-ripening grape variety it gives its best in hot years where there is sufficient late summer sun. Here, the talent of the winemaker is all-important if the wine is to be a success each year. Elegant and full-bodied, with a bouquet of blackcurrant, cedar wood, liquorice, cinnamon, pepper, vanilla, raspberry, iris, violet, leather, cherry, almonds, toasted coffee, mint and underwood. In Bordeaux, its late ripening is due, in part, to its thick skin which makes a fresh wine, that is high in tannins with a herbaceous, vegetal character. The result is wines that can be a little austere in their youth, needing cellar maturing to give their best. In exceptional years, the wine is balanced, less acidity and finer tannins giving a remarkable and elegant structure, which contributes to some of the most incredible red wines in the world. Cabernet Sauvignon can also be found in Europe (Italy and Bulgaria), California, Chile, Australia and South Africa, among others.

Cabernet Franc

In order of importance, this is the third red grape of Bordeaux (after Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon). It is broadly similar to the latter, although it ripens much earlier. Identified by its elegant aromas, the structure has a nice acidity with present, but fine tannins, lending it a good potential for ageing. The nose is characterized by aromas of raspberry, blackcurrant, violet, spices (pepper), green pepper, bramble, ivy leaves and underwood. It's found mostly on the right bank, and is the principal grape variety in the illustrious Château Cheval Blanc (60%). It is also the dominant grape variety in the red wines of the Loire Valley (Bourgueil, Chinon, Saumur…are made up essentially, if not exclusively of this grape). It is also significant in California and the northeast of Italy (Friuli and Venetia).

Merlot

Merlot, the most widely planted of the Bordeaux grapes, is a fashionable and highly successful grape variety, that is made for pleasure. A very early ripener, it gives wines that are balanced and easy to produce, but that can lack personality as a result. It is the key to the great red wines of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol (Pétrus). It is characterized by a softness and fruitiness, ripe and silky tannins, a medium acidity and a good aromatic potential. Susceptible to drought, it likes deep, rich soils which conserve a sufficient humidity during the summer. Its flavours are made up of cherry, blackberry, jammy strawberries, prunes, leather, animal notes (game), liquorice, underwood, truffle and violet. Its name figures on an increasing number of labels for French vins de pay, in northern Italy and the New World.

Syrah

grand cépage de la Vallée du Rhône septentrionale (Hermitage, Côte Rôtie, Cornas), il s'est parfaitement exporté un peu partout hors de nos frontières, et donne des vins rouges qui comptent parmi les plus prestigieux du monde. La Syrah confère aux vins chair, couleur intense, grande typicité et puissance aromatique. Toute leur classe et leur complexité aromatique se developperont avec l'âge. Cultivée initialement dans le Dauphiné dont elle serait originaire, elle a gagné la Vallée du Rhône, le Midi et le Languedoc. Vinifiée seule elle exige une vinification méticuleuse et un élevage en fût. Ses arômes déclinent des notes de cassis, de mûre, de pruneau, de cerise, de poivre, de réglisse, de cannelle, de violette, de cuir, de truffe...Les plus grands vins français qui en sont issus rivalisent avec les crus classés du bordelais, et d'autres pays savent en tirer le meilleur, notamment l'Afrique su Sud, mais surtout l'Autralie qui l'assemble souvent au Cabernet Sauvignon pour en faire un vin souple et fruité, mais qui le vinifie aussi seul pour en faire de très grands vins.

Gamay

Main grape variety of the northern Rhone Valley (Hermitage, Côte Rôtie, Cornas), it has successfully been exported just about everywhere, making some of the most prestigious red wines in the world. Syrah gives muscular, deeply coloured wines with a great typicity and strong flavours. Syrah improves with ageing, developing a greater aromatic complexity. Initiallly grown in the Dauphiné region of France, its probable homeland, it has spread throughout the Rhone Valley, Midi and Languedoc .When vinified on its own, it requires a careful attention and oak ageing. Its flavours include notes of blackcurrant, bramble, prunes, cherry, pepper, liquorice, cinnamon, violet, leather, truffle...The finest French syrahs can compete with the Bordeaux classed growths. Other countries also know how to get the best out of syrah, particularly South Africa but above all Australia which often blends it with Cabernet Sauvignon to produce a supple and fruity wine, though vinified alone it can produce very fine wines.

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