Côte des Blancs

The Côte des Blancs is a stretch of Champagne vineyards in the Marne department, south of Épernay. It runs for about twenty kilometres and covers more than three thousand hectares. The slope faces east and takes its name from the pale grape planted here: ninety-five per cent of the vines are Chardonnay. Wines from this area are labelled ‘blanc de blancs’ because they are made only from white grapes. Four villages lie directly on the slope—Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger—while others between Cuis and Bergères-les-Vertus also grow vines on the same hillsides. The region has a strong reputation for quality and produces some of the most sought-after Champagnes. These wines are prized for their light, delicate aromas, fine structure and elegant style. Many large Champagne houses rely on the Côte des Blancs for the Chardonnay used in their finest vintage wines and prestige cuvées. Six villages here hold grand cru status: Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Oiry. Visitors walk along narrow lanes lined with low stone walls that divide the vineyards. The pale Chardonnay vines stand in neat rows on gentle slopes, their leaves catching the morning light. At the heart of the area are villages with small shops and family-run wine bars where locals pour their own wines. The landscape is calm, the air fresh with the scent of grapes and earth, and the only sounds are the wind and the occasional tractor.