Montagne de Reims

The Montagne de Reims is the largest of Champagne's subregions and the centre of its Pinot Noir production. It runs in a wide arc through the forest between Reims to the north and Épernay to the south, with vines planted on slopes that drop away from a tree-covered plateau on top. The soils shift as the elevation changes: pure chalk lower down, then chalk under heavier clay closer to the woods, which gives the wines a fuller body and a darker fruit profile than what you find on the Côte des Blancs. Many of the most celebrated parcels actually face north or east rather than south, ripening more slowly and holding on to acidity in a way that gives the great houses the Pinot they need to anchor their non-vintage blends. Pinot Noir has been at home here for centuries, but the hill was known for still red wine long before sparkling Champagne became the regional identity. The village of Bouzy gave its name to a still red, Bouzy Rouge, that was prized at the French royal court and is still made in small quantities today. As the great Reims houses rose in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Montagne's structured, dark-fruited Pinot became the backbone of the non-vintage blends that defined the modern Champagne style.