NV Non-vintage. A blend of years and the norm: approximtely 95%+ of all champagne. See also ‘Multi-vintage’
Vintage eg ‘2012’ champagne, ie from a specific year, is only a small, (but very important!) part of champagne. Vintage champagne is only required to spend the same compulsory time on lees in bottle (12 months) as non-vintage. But it must have been aged a minimum 36 months before released for sale. In practice the vast bulk is aged longer on lees than 12 months; many of them for 5+ years or even much longer. A vital rule, differing from all other European and most world wine rules, is that all of the wine in a vintage champagne must be from a single harvest. If this were not so all champagne could be non-vintage.
Chardonnay Often abbreviated CH
Pinot Noir Often abbreviated PN
Pinot Meunier Often abbreviated M. And nowadays simply ‘Meunier’ in Champagne, although this variety is a clonal mutation of an ancient variety Pinot.
Pinot Gris Often abbreviated PG
Brut Sans Année (‘BSA’) The main introductory champagne in a range. The basic NV of the producer. It will be the bulk of a domaine or house’s production, the first wine in the range and usually the cheapest. It is hard for English to capture the proper sense, as ‘entry-level’ seems belittling of such an important flag-carrier of a brand. This is the wine most people buy and is maybe 90% of the total market of Champagne. The ‘first’ wine in the range is an adequate term as long as it is not confused with the ‘prestige’ or ‘de luxe’ cuvée of a brand which will be their top wine and the dearest.
Vins clairs– Still wines made from the first fermentations after pressing the grapes. ‘Clairs’ because they are not fizzy. The vins clairs are then blended: the ‘assemblage,’ before the champagne is bottled.
Base Wine / ‘Base’ The ‘base’ of an NV is the most recent harvest year, most of what is in the bottle, usually around 60-85%. So B18 in this booklet means: ‘Base Year 2018’.
Reserves: The rest of the wine apart from the ‘base’ in an NV blend. They are older wines. Sometimes the reserves of previous years are kept together in a ‘solera’ or ‘perpetual reserve’
Malolactic fermentation. (MLF / malo) Not strictly a fermentation, but a bacterial conversion of shrill malic acid to softer lactic acid. Softens, adds weight and sometimes ‘butteriness’ to the wine. Blocking MLF is an increasing tactic in Champagne, to keep freshness against climate change. Although warmer summers increase vine respiration and reduce the malic acid available to preserve in any case.
Barrels – The traditional Champagne barrel is 205L. But Burgundy barrels (228L) are often used, even Bordeaux barriques (225L) ‘ Foudres’ are big wooden vats. ‘Demi-muid’ – 600L barrel. Oak is making a big come-back, often in combination with stainless steel. Also there are enamelled steel tanks and nowadays, amphorae and ‘concrete eggs’.
g/L – grammes per litre – the strength of the sweet ‘dosage’ often added just before the cork is put in the finished bottle. Brut Nature is 0-3g/L. Zero Dosage means no added sweetness but there may still be some residual sugar from the first fermentation. Extra Brut: 0-6 g/L, Brut 0-12 g/L
Disgorged / disgorgement Abbreviated often as ‘D’ in notes on this site.– After the second fermentation in bottle, at the end of ageing on lees, removal of the yeast deposit from the bottle, before the cork goes in. Achieved by riddling the deposit into the neck, freezing the plug of wine/deposit and removing the crown cap; pressure expels deposit to leave wine clear.