Bezannes

Bezannes is the Premier Cru on the outskirts of Reims: the city center is 6 km away, and the town, part of Grand Reims, has been home to the Champagne-Ardenne TGV station since 2007 and the terminus of tram line B since 2011. The map places it in the Montagne de Reims, between Les Mesneux, Sacy, and Écueil, but UMC tables assign it to the terroir of the Massif de Saint-Thierry.

The vineyard is tiny: 7.0 ha, all planted with Chardonnay, which the UMC attributes to a single winegrower. The parcels lie between 113 and 118 meters, almost half on level ground, with an average slope of 3.9% and varied exposures, facing east, southeast, and northwest. In these terroirs around Reims, the soils tend to be marls, clay, and sand. According to the Comité Champagne, Chardonnay brings freshness and floral and citrus aromas, producing wines suited to aging.

The place appears as Bisennae in the 11th century, in the polyptych of Saint-Remi; in the 14th century, its lords were the abbesses of Saint-Pierre Abbey. The Romanesque church of Saint-Martin has been a historic monument since 1912. Among the people linked to the town, Wikipedia mentions Victor Lambert (1831-1912), chef de cave at the Pommery house. In the échelle des crus, Bezannes was rated 90%, the threshold that, under the 1952 decree, granted the right to the Premier Cru mention, now confirmed by the AOC Champagne regulations.

When a Champagne from Bezannes joins the STELT selection, it appears below. The village is marked on the Champagne map.