Champagne Premier Cru

What the cahier des charges says

The specification of the Champagne AOC allows two complementary mentions. Wines from 17 listed communes of the Marne may use "grand cru" and "premier cru".¹ A second list of 42 communes may use "premier cru" only, for wines from grapes harvested on their territory.¹ The list is the same in the 2024 and 2025 texts and in the June 2026 draft.^3,1,7 The text names whole communes and sets no partial or parcel limit for any of them.¹ On the label the commune name may be combined with "Premier Cru".¹ The DGCCRF summarises the rule as 17 communes classed grand cru and 42 premier cru.⁸ The appellation counts 319 crus in total.⁴

The 42 communes

All 42 communes are in the Marne department.⁵ Several have since merged into new communes; the third column gives the current commune in the official register.^5,9

History of the échelle des crus

The premier cru list comes from the échelle des crus, a scale that rated each commune in percent and was used to set grape prices.^10,2 On that scale grand cru meant 100% and premier cru 90-99%.⁶

• 1911: after the harvest a scale of 194 crus was drawn up, 11 of them at 100%.²
• 1935: a décret-loi created a commission that set minimum grape prices each year by category of cru.²
• 1941: the CIVC was created and managed the scale; prices became mandatory.²
• 1952: the decree of 1 July 1952 confirmed the scale and restricted the terms "premier cru" and "grand cru".²
• 1945 to 1981: the bottom of the scale rose from 70% (1945) to 77% (1971), 78% (1980) and 80% from the 1981 harvest.¹⁰
• 1971 to 2003: the scale was revised in 1971, 1980, 1981, 1985 and, for the last time, 2003.²
• 1990 to 2004: mandatory prices ended from the 1990 harvest, indicative prices ended after 2000, and the scale was abandoned from the 2004 harvest.²
• 2010: the decree of 22 November 2010 set the AOC specification and repealed the 1952 decree.²

Under the old scale a commune could hold different ratings by grape colour: the UMC notes that Tours-sur-Marne was a grand cru for black grapes and a premier cru for white.¹⁰ The current specification lists Tours-sur-Marne among the 17 grand cru communes without such a split.¹

Questions and answers

How many Premier Cru communes does Champagne have?

42 communes may use "premier cru" only; the 17 grand cru communes may also use it.¹

Is any commune only partly Premier Cru?

No. The specification lists whole communes with no partial or parcel limit.¹

Is the échelle des crus still in use?

No. It was abandoned from the 2004 harvest; the mentions now rest on the lists in the specification.^2,1