Ambonnay

What it is

Ambonnay is one of Champagne’s seventeen Grand Cru villages, on the southeast flank of the Montagne de Reims. About 387 hectares of vineyard. Plantings: 81 percent Pinot Noir, 19 percent Chardonnay, almost no Meunier. One of the purest Pinot Noir villages on the Montagne, with Bouzy as a direct neighbour.

Soil and aspect

South and southeast-facing slopes on chalky clay, with a thin layer of marl over the top. Strong sun exposure, more growing-degree days than northern neighbours Verzenay and Verzy. The result: riper Pinot Noir with more body, generosity and roundness.

The Grand Cru status is original: Ambonnay was one of the twelve villages the Échelle des Crus recognised at 100 percent in the 1950s, so it has not been a later promotion like Verzy or the southern Côte des Blancs villages received in 1985.

Producers

Ambonnay holds an exceptional concentration of top growers and major house holdings:

• Egly-Ouriet: 12 hectares spread across Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay. Pioneers of low-intervention and low yields. One of the most respected Pinot Noir Champagnes in the world.
• Krug: owner of Clos d’Ambonnay, a walled vineyard of just 0.68 hectares (1.68 acres). First produced in 1995, first released in 2007. Production around 3,000 bottles per vintage. One of the most expensive Champagnes in the world (around 2,500 euros per bottle).
• Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Mumm, Roederer, Pol Roger: all hold Ambonnay parcels for their prestige cuvées
• André Beaufort: biodynamic grower
• R. Pouillon, Marie-Noëlle Ledru: other grower names

In the glass

Powerful, fruit-rich, structural. Ripe red fruit (cherry, raspberry), spice, toasted nut with age. Wide palate. Not the most mineral-tense Pinot Noir on the Montagne (that’s Verzenay) but the most royal. An Ambonnay Grand Cru from Egly-Ouriet drinks well for four decades.

Compared with neighbours

Bouzy (west) is similar in style and proportion. Verzenay (north) delivers vertical, sharper Pinot Noir. Ambonnay sits closer to Bouzy in character than to the northern slopes.

What the Grand Cru stamp means

Until 2010 the Comité Champagne ran the Échelle des Crus: a scale from 80 to 100 percent that determined the price growers could command versus the top. Grand Cru villages scored 100 percent. Ambonnay sat at that top since the original 1950s scale, alongside Aÿ, Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil and nine others.

The Échelle has since been abolished as a price mechanism, but Grand Cru status remains a geographic label. For prestige cuvée producers Ambonnay fruit is nearly indispensable: Krug, Bollinger La Grande Année, Dom Pérignon and Cristal all have substantial Ambonnay components.

Frequently asked questions

What makes Ambonnay different from other Grand Cru villages?

Combination of south-east exposure, chalk-with-marl soil and high Pinot Noir concentration. Produces riper, fuller Pinot Noir than northern Grand Crus like Verzy or Verzenay, but more structure and length than southern Côte des Blancs villages.

Which affordable Ambonnay Champagne can I buy?

R. Pouillon Brut Réserve (~£40), André Beaufort Brut Grand Cru (~£50), Marie-Noëlle Ledru Cuvée du Goulté (~£50). Egly-Ouriet starts around £70, Krug Clos d’Ambonnay sits at £2,500+ per bottle.

Is Ambonnay always 100% Pinot Noir?

Not necessarily. The village has 19% Chardonnay plantings too. Some cuvées are mono-varietal Pinot Noir, others are Pinot Noir-Chardonnay blends. Grand Cru status applies to the village, not the grape.