Trade bookOpen an accountTech sheetsShelf talkersMake a payment
Pas Mal Selections
Vallée de l’Ardre · Section across the valley at Chaumuzy

Vallée de l'Ardre: Meunier on the Tertiary clays

Across the little Ardre valley at Chaumuzy, where the chalk lies too deep to reach and the vines grow on clay, sand and marl. Tap a layer to read it.

Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.

Schematic: the Tertiary sequence follows the general Tardenois and Montagne de Reims succession and is to be checked against the BRGM 1:50,000 sheet for Fismes. The depth of the chalk under Chaumuzy is estimated, not measured. Chaumuzy sits in the Vallée de l'Ardre, which the Comité groups with the Marne's western valleys; the book files it under Vallée de la Marne. Salmon's Les Grèves is drawn dashed by the village: its exact position is still to come from the grower. Ground from AWS terrain data.

Key to the ground

6 layers, youngest at the top

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

    Why this is Meunier country

    1. The valley is cool and damp, and spring frost pools in it.
    2. Meunier buds later than Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, so it often misses the frost, and still ripens early.
    3. Clay soils hold water, so the vines do not stall in a dry summer; the wines are generous and fruit-led.
    4. Meunier on these clays gives round, fruit-led wine, which is why Salmon can make it without dosage.

    Did you knowThe chalk is still under Chaumuzy, but deep below the Tertiary sands and clays. About 25 km to the south-east, on the Côte des Blancs, the same chalk is at the surface.

    In the book

    Pas Mal wines on this ground

    Chaumuzy and the Ardre

    Sources: Comité Champagne, soil pages; BRGM 1:50,000 geological map, sheet Fismes (Tertiary succession); Champagne J.R., Vallée de l'Ardre notes; Champagne Salmon producer notes; AWS Terrain Tiles.