The value and verve of grower champagnes

You may recall a few months ago when we debunked the myths surrounding a widely purported ‘champagne shortage’ in Australia. We encouraged champagne lovers not to forgo the effervescent drink for every day occasion and celebration but to take the opportunity to seek out new experiences with great grower champagne.

And, just as we promised, there has been plenty of champagne to go around! Recently, we discovered new artisanal grower champagnes of top quality and great value that rival the most well known and comparative of Champagne Houses. Inspiring and deeply expressive of their provenance, these cuvées are a gentle gateway for those who find themselves at a crossroads in their champagne journey; who wish to venture into the exciting realm of grower champagne and to see what lies beyond the big Houses.

These big Houses, known as the Grandes Marques (‘Great Brands’), largely drive Australia’s champagne market. As the most prominent Houses, the Grandes Marques have a long history of wine production in Champagne, achieving fame and fortune through the creation of non-vintage champagne blends that remain consistent in style each year. Their success lies in delivering a reliable experience for the consumer and in promoting aspirational ideals of luxury, celebrity and celebration that have been heavily marketed for the past two centuries. Though they have extensive holdings of vines themselves, the Grandes Marques must often source fruit and wine from growers across the appellation to ensure adequate supply (e.g., Moët & Chandon owns 1190ha of vines and is the world’s biggest champagne producer, producing over 30 million bottles annually, but this is only possible through the purchase of an additional 4000ha of grapes each year). The end product is typically a non-vintage cuvée blended from as many as 50 plots, sourced from as many contract growers, featuring a large stock of reserve wines and finished with a dosage of up to 12 g/L in the popular Brut style.

In contrast, grower champagnes are produced by the growers themselves (also called grower-producers), who pride themselves on creating champagnes from vines that are exclusively their own. These Houses are family-owned and operated, and estate holdings are generally no more than a few hectares, passed down from generation to generation. Their aim is to craft wines from low yields and sustainable farming practices, vinified using natural, low-intervention winemaking processes that hone in on site-specific expressions of fruit, terroir and vintage. Through the judicious use of reserve wines, and a healthier preference for lower dosage (only up to 6 g/L in the Extra Brut style) and even zero dosage (i.e., Brut Nature), growers emphasise a strong sense of place in their cuvées, regardless of whether it is a single vineyard, single village, regional or vintage expression. Though production is limited and on a much smaller scale than the Grandes Marques, grower champagnes represent the best value when it comes to providing an educational and holistic experience that is profoundly honest and transformative.

This Easter long weekend, and for the remainder of the holidays, we invite you to look beyond the Grande Marque label and discover grower champagnes of great value and verve to celebrate both special occasions and everyday joys. Peruse our list of recommendations below, which showcase the most distinctive and approachable champagnes to enjoy and savour right now.

 

INSTEAD OF: Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs NV [RRP $134.95]

TRY: Oudiette Les Gras d’Huile NV [RRP $125]

For lovers of Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) champagne.

While Perrier-Jouët’s Blanc de Blancs champagne is blended from multiple plots located in the famously chalky Côte des Blancs, Oudiette’s Les Gras d’Huile heralds from a single parcel of vines in the Coteaux du Morin—a region immediately southwest of the Côte des Blancs that also produces outstanding yet little-known Chardonnay-based wines. Translating to ‘oil fats’, Les Gras d’Huile is Maxime Oudiette’s inaugurate champagne, first released in November 2020, comprising fruit derived from its namesake—a single parcel of vines, 1ha in size, in the village of Beaunay. Les Gras d’Huile is predominantly assembled from the 2017 vintage (72%), with the remainder incorporating the 2015 and 2016 reserves.

Practising organic and biodynamic viticulture, Maxime further enhances terroir expression through the use of indigenous yeasts. To encourage micro-oxygenation and promote subtle complexities in the wine, he employs oak barrels for vinification and maturation. Disgorged on 23 June 2020 and finished with 2 g/L dosage, only 1200 bottles were produced.

This is a seductive Blanc de Blancs champagne that both invigorates and tempts. Deliriously good and devilishly moreish: simply unputdownable.

 

INSTEAD OF: Billecart-Salmon Brut Nature NV [RRP $119]

TRY: Geoffroy Pureté NV [RRP $100]

For zero dosage specialists.

While both these cuvées are blends of Meunier, Pinot noir and Chardonnay presented in a Brut Nature style, Billecart-Salmon’s Brut Nature is assembled from numerous plots across the entire appellation, whereas Geoffroy’s Pureté is harvested purely from vineyards in the Premier Cru village of Cumières—the ancestral home of the Geoffroy family in the Vallée de la Marne.

The current Pureté release is based on the 2015 harvest (53%) and 2014 reserves (47%), the latter of which are partly kept in oak casks. Organically and biodynamically managed fruit is harvested and sorted by hand then pressed gently in a traditional Coquard pressoir. Each plot is vinified separately in temperature-controlled steel vats, and malolactic fermentation is avoided to preserve pure expression of terroir and varietal character. The current release was disgorged in June 2021.

Translating to ‘purity’, Pureté is a champagne blend of lasting impression: delicious, layered, authentic and naturally extravagant.

 

INSTEAD OF: Taittinger Prélude Grands Crus NV [RRP $125]

TRY: Nicolas Maillart Extra Brut NV [RRP $108]

For enthusiasts of champagne from powerful terroir.

A comparative blend of 50:50 Chardonnay and Pinot noir, Nicolas Maillart’s Extra Brut is crafted from vines rooted in the Premier Cru and Grand Cru villages of the Montagne de Reims (namely, Écueil, Villers-Allerand and Bouzy).

Nicolas cultivates his parcels organically and biodynamically, and vines are 30 years old. To achieve an elegant House style, Extra Brut comprises a percentage of barrel-aged reserve wines, with their superb richness complemented by Chardonnay’s fresh accents. The wine spends approximately 3 years on lees, striking a natural balance and freshness that allows for a very low dosage of 3 g/L. The current release was disgorged in April 2021.

A festive cuvée for all occasions, Extra Brut journeys on the palate with intense vibrancy, vinosity and an exquisite minerality that lingers long in memory—ideal as an aperitif or partnered with many foods. A class act of exceptional value.

 

INSTEAD OF: Ruinart R de Ruinart NV [RRP $129.95]

TRY: Pierre Gerbais Grains de Celles [RRP $105]

For admirers of qualitative champagne blends.

Ruinart’s flagship R de Ruinart cuvée is fashioned from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Meunier from 50 different villages, including a few from the southernmost winemaking region of Champagne, the Côte des Bar. It also contains 20­%–25% reserve wine.

Cleverly swapping out Meunier for Pinot blanc—a rare, heirloom white grape varietal pioneered by  Champagne Pierre Gerbais in the Côte des Bar after World War II—Grains de Celles is an expressive and unique champagne blend with an identity as strong as its time-honoured history.

Crafted from organically farmed fruit, this cuvée comprises an exact representation of the Domaine’s holdings today (50% Pinot noir, 25% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot blanc). Fruit is vinified in stainless steel vats, undergoing malolactic fermentation and maturation on fine lees before ageing for 30 months sur latte (storing bottles on their side for secondary fermentation and maturation). Based entirely on the 2018 vintage, the latest release was disgorged in April 2021 and finished with 3 g/L dosage.

Dry and cleansing, the exhilarating finish is carried by a strong current of uplifting acidity—crackling and popping with the sensation of sherbet—and vividly pulsing with tense, chalky minerality. A sensational experience owed to the most fascinating of terroir.

 

INSTEAD OF: Billecart-Salmon Vintage 2009  [RRP $150]

TRY: Marguet Shaman 17 NV [RRP $98]

For lovers of vintage cuvées without the vintage price tag.

Shaman 17 is a blend of Pinot noir (69%) and Chardonnay (31%) from old vines in the mighty Grand Cru villages of Ambonnay and Bouzy in the great Montagne de Reims. The average vine age is 40 years, and vineyard management includes biodynamics, phytotherapy (maceration, infusion and decoction of medicinal plants) and aromatherapy (the use of essential oils). The current release comprises fruit that is cropped exclusively from the 2017 harvest, and each terroir has been fermented separately in barrel. Disgorged in November 2020, Shaman 17 is finished with zero dosage

A true contender for value, Marguet’s Shaman 17 stands out when compared to many Grandes Marques vintage cuvées. Flush with fragrant botanicals and awash with ambrosial flavours of cherry and sweet spice, Shaman 17 ripples across the palate with sleek composure, generosity and tones of earthly ripeness. An extraordinary champagne whose quality belies its relatively modest price point.

 

These cuvées invite exploration off the beaten path, into the enigmatic world of grower champagne, at a fraction of the Grande Marque price tag. Begin your magical grower champagne journey at Le Shop today.

 

Feature image courtesy of Champagne Pierre Gerbais