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Côte des Blancs · Section through Oger

Côte des Blancs: chalk at the surface

Down the east-facing scarp at Oger, from the wooded plateau to the chalk plain. Here the chalk comes right up under the vines. Tap a layer to read it.

Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.

Schematic: the chalk top and the Tertiary cap follow the general Côte des Blancs sequence (BRGM sheet Épernay) and are to be checked at 1:50,000. The Belemnite/Micraster boundary is drawn to show that older chalk comes up to the east; its real depth here is not measured. Les Crayères is placed at the foot of the slope from the grower's description, not a survey. Chouilly lies 7 km north on the same scarp and is not on this line. Ground from AWS terrain data; Oger sits 33 m from the line.

Key to the ground

6 layers, youngest at the top

    Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.

    Why Chardonnay rules here

    1. The chalk is at the surface, so roots reach it at once and draw steady water all summer.
    2. The scarp faces east and south-east and catches the morning sun; the plateau woods block the westerlies.
    3. The north end, at Cramant and Chouilly, has more clay and gives rounder wines; Oger and Le Mesnil are purer chalk and tighter.
    4. Chardonnay buds early, so spring frost is the great risk on these slopes.

    Did you know“Crayères” means chalk pits. The Champagne houses of Reims dug their cellars in old Gallo-Roman crayères, and the word turns up as a vineyard name wherever the chalk is close under the vines.

    In the book

    Pas Mal wines on this ground

    Oger

    • Blanc de Blancs BrutDemière-Ansiot
    • Blanc de Blancs BrutJosé Dhondt
    • Blanc de Blancs Brut (375ml)José Dhondt
    • Blanc de Blancs « Mes Vieilles Vignes »José Dhondt
    • Rosé de SaignéeJosé Dhondt

    Chouilly, at the north end of the same scarp

    • Demi-SecVazart-Coquart
    • Grand Cru Brut Réserve Blanc de BlancsVazart-Coquart
    • Grand Cru Brut Réserve Blanc de Blancs (375ml)Vazart-Coquart
    • Grand Cru Brut Réserve Blanc de Blancs 375mlVazart-Coquart
    • Rosé – 3.5g · 95% Ch / 5% PN · MaloVazart-Coquart
    • Special Club Grand Cru Blanc de BlancsVazart-Coquart

    Sources: Comité Champagne, soil pages; AOC Champagne cahier des charges; Tom Hewson, Six Atmospheres: What is chalk; Larmandier-Bernier, geology notes; BRGM 1:50,000 geological map, sheet Épernay; AWS Terrain Tiles.