Or shall we call it ‘The Richards’ ?! Instead of ‘The Champagne Oscars’ ? We want to sum-up the year of 2024 from a Champagne perspective. In 20+ categories we hand out awards for this years most memorable Champagnes & Champagne related topics!
[featured partner – vigneron.se]
Historical winners
| 2024 | Cramant Grand Cru |
| 2023 | Verzenay Grand Cru |
| 2022 | Aÿ Grand Cru |
| 2021 | Ambonnay Grand Cru |
| 2020 | Avize Grand Cru |
Cramant
Grand Cru
Regarded by many as the finest village in Côte de Blancs since it was the first to be classified as Grand cru. I personally place it together with the somewhat more austere and more delicate Avize district, straight after Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Cramant lies with its steep slopes directly south of Chouilly on the Butte de Saran and with most of the vineyards having a southeastern exposure, like Avize, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The flatter parts on the outskirts of the vineyards border on and are reminiscent of Oiry. Even though the wines are the most generously scented, creamiest, and sun-ripened of all Grand crus, there is great variation here among various producers and from vineyard to vineyard. Other features characteristic of Cramant are the aromas of saffron, honey, and wild strawberries.
Growers like Diebolt-Vallois, Pierre Gimonnet, and Lilbert, as well as large houses like Pommery, Perrier-Jouët, Dom Pérignon, and Mumm, who are major owners, are always searching for a balance between the locations that yield richer wines, such as Pimont’s and Buzon’s, and those that bear more delicate creations reminiscent of Avize, such as Les Moyens and Gros Monts, whereas a few rely entirely on a single site, with Larmandier-Bernier’s Vieille Vinges du Lévant necessarily regarded as the foremost example.
‘My favorite wines with 100 percent Cramant are Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs, Selosse Cramant Chemin de Châlons, Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs (formerly Mumm de Cramant), Diebolt-Vallois Fleur de Passion, Larmandier-Bernier Vieille Vignes du Lëvant, Bonnaire Collection, Pierre Gimonnet Spécial Club Cramant, Bonnaire Prestige, and Lilbert Millésime, often in that order.’
Richard Juhlin
The largest landowners among the champagne houses are Moët & Chandon, Mumm, Pommery, and Perrier-Jouët, Delamotte, Billecart-Salmon, and Veuve Clicquot.
The foremost producers in the village: Diebolt-Vallois, Bonnaire, Lilbert, and Pertois-Lebrun.
