The geology of Champagne is truly unique and definitely the most important factor that distinguishes champagne from other sparkling wines. In Burgundy it is obvious to assess each individual vineyard plot, while in Champagne there is a much more blunt system where entire villages, regardless of how much the terroir quality varies, have the same grading. Grand Cru and Premier Cru should of course be completely dependent on the quality of individual wineries also in Champagne. With the current development with more and more Lieu-dit wines, perhaps the future will give us a fairer system.

Read RJs article on his own ranking system of the Grand Crus of Champagne.