Glossary
Premier Cru
In Champagne, one of 42 villages one tier below Grand Cru on the old échelle des crus (rated 90–99%). Source of many respected single-village bottlings.
Premier Cru designates 42 villages in Champagne rated 90–99% on the historical échelle des crus — below the 17 grand cru villages but still considered top-tier sources. Like Grand Cru, the classification applies to the whole village, not to individual parcels.
Notable premier cru villages include Bergères-les-Vertus, Chigny-les-Roses, Cuis, Dizy, Écueil, Ludes, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Pierry and Villers-Marmery. Many respected grower and house cuvées are sourced primarily from premier cru parcels — Billecart-Salmon is based in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, for instance.
A wine labelled “Premier Cru” must be composed entirely of grapes from premier cru (or grand cru) villages.
Related terms