Coteaux champenois

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Varieties of interest

Terroir

• The vineyard lies on the cuestas of the eastern Paris Basin, geomorphological structures encompassing the Montagne de Reims, the Marne valley, the Côte des Blancs, and the Côte du Sézannais.
• The Côte de Champagne, with the marly Vitryat and the Aube sector of Montgueux, together with the Côte des Bar, uniting the Bar-sur-aubois and the Bar-séquanais, complete the viticultural zones.
• The cuesta relief features slopes facing east and south, and sometimes north, as is the case with the northern Montagne de Reims and the left bank of the Marne valley.
• The escarpment faces are composed of hard layers of limestone or chalk, while the softer slopes — chalky, marly, or sandy — are covered with colluvium derived from the overlying escarpment faces.
• The vineyard, situated in a northerly zone, is subject to a dual oceanic and continental climatic influence, the latter being responsible for sometimes damaging frosts and for favourable sunshine levels in summer.

• The law of 22 July 1927 reserved the appellation 'Champagne' exclusively for sparkling wines, introducing the designation 'Vins originaires de la Champagne viticole', which became 'Vins natures de Champagne' in 1953.
• These still wines were recognised as the controlled appellation of origin 'Coteaux champenois' in 1974, following the provisions of the law of 12 December 1973 prohibiting the simple appellation 'vins natures de la Champagne'.

• The red wines display a transparent red colour of variable intensity, with lightness and finesse, a silky attack, and aromas generally of red fruits.
• The texture of the white wines is crystalline and saline, with a minerality that dominates and generates a fine persistence, and a natural acidity that lends them a certain liveliness.
• The white wines show subtle aromatic notes of a floral, fruity, or mineral character, and ageing adds richness to the wine, contributing to its balance on the palate.

• Chalk eliminates excess water through its porosity and permeability, while ensuring rehydration of the soil during dry weather through capillary rise.
• The calcareous sands of the subsoil allow the infiltration of surplus water during wet periods, supplementing the water reserve provided by the marly layers.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 31 juillet 2025, JORF 3 août 2025
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Comité Champagne