The Côte des Blancs is an area in the department of Marne in the Champagne region of northern France renowned for its Chardonnay. Located near to and south of Épernay it forms a chalky spine running from northeast to southwest, perpendicular to the Marne Valley. The vineyards are on east-facing slopes and mounds (Oxford Companion: 2015, p.214). These skirt Champagne’s Brie plateau over a distance of 6.2–9.3miles (10-15km). As its name suggests, the Côte des Blancs is an exclusively white appellation, with the Chardonnay planted as a stand-alone varietal, except in Vertus, in the extreme south, where its supremacy is challenged by the Pinot Noir.

Communes (12): Avize. | Bergères-les-Vertus. | Chouilly. | Cramant. | Cuis. | Grauves. | Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger. | Oger. | Oiry. | Vertus. | Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny. | Voipreux.

Vineyard area: 2006 3,313 hectares.

Terroir: East-facing slopes (Oxford Companion: 2015, p.214).