Grower Champagne: The Trailblazers

Vilmart is fabulous top level grower Champagne from the Montagne de Reims that deserves attention from Champagne lovers. Run by the 5th and 6th generation of the Vilmart family, this dynamic father-son duo produces a maximum of 120,000 bottles from 12 plots (farmed biodynamically since the 70s) near their winery - about a fifth of what Krug produce for their vintage bottling alone.

All of their wines see some oak. They use some of the smallest foudres barrels in the world, totally unique in Champagne, made especially for them by the Tonnellerie-Rousseau. However, all of their wines have a characteristic purity of fruit, elegance and energy. None of the wines go through malolactic fermentation in order to preserve the natural acidity and vibrancy of the wines. 

Pierre Péters is a benchmark sixth-generation grower-producer based in the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger within the Côte des Blancs. Since 1919, the estate has specialised in crafting some of the finest Blanc de Blancs Champagnes in existence, made entirely from Chardonnay. Under the meticulous direction of Rodolphe Péters, the domaine sustainably farms approximately 19 hectares of estate-grown vines. Péters is celebrated for utilising stainless-steel vinification to preserve the pure, precise, and crystalline chalkiness of its exceptional limestone terroir.

 

Chartogne-Taillet is located in Merfy, a historic and unique terroir situated northwest of Reims. Under the visionary guidance of Alexandre Chartogne, who was heavily influenced by his mentor Anselme Selosse, this estate has emerged as one of the most respected names in the grower Champagne movement. Alexandre champions a low-intervention, non-dogmatic approach, employing organic farming, animal-assisted ploughing, and native yeast fermentations. Chartogne-Taillet focuses deeply on single-vineyard (lieu-dit) cuvées to translate the intricate diversity of Merfy's clay and sand soils into the glass. These Champagnes are acclaimed for their intense vinous character, remarkable complexity, texture, and deep purity of place.

 

Bérêche et Fils, run by the dynamic brothers Raphaël and Vincent Bérèche, is one of the most successful and acclaimed producers of Grower Champagne. They organically farm approximately 11 hectares of old vines spread across the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne. The family's signature style blends absolute precision with artisanal tradition, notably ageing their base wines in oak barrels and conducting secondary fermentations under natural cork rather than crown caps to foster subtle micro-oxygenation. Their Champagnes - beautifully balanced among Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier - are celebrated for their incredible texture, harmony, mineral tension, and persistent freshness.
 

Aurélien Suenen represents the fifth generation of his family estate, taking control in 2009 and establishing himself as a rising star of the Côte des Blancs. Based in Cramant, Suenen has conscientiously transitioned the estate's 5 hectares to organic certification. He crafts incredibly precise, mineral-driven Blanc de Blancs from grand cru plots in Cramant, Chouilly, and Oiry. In the cellar, Suenen applies a meticulous, low-intervention approach utilising indigenous yeasts, natural malolactic fermentations, and minimal dosage. His terroir-focused Champagnes are lauded for their saline elegance, chalky precision, airy texture, and long, iodised mineral finish.

 

Pascal Agrapart is a benchmark producer of terroir-focused, old-vine Chardonnay in the prestigious Grand Cru village of Avize in the Côte des Blancs. Operating since 1894, the family estate has been led by Pascal since the 1980s, recently joined by his son Ambroise. Agrapart farms 12 hectares across elite Grand Cru villages, focusing on natural rhythm, mechanical ploughing, and avoiding chemical treatments. The winemaking utilises indigenous yeasts, long ageing on the lees under natural cork, and exceptionally low dosage. His complex cuvées, such as Minéral and Avizoise, are globally celebrated for their chiselled tension, saline minerality, and profound ageing capacity.

 

Jacques Lassaigne is a legendary artisanal estate based on the unique, steep Turonian chalk hill of Montgueux in the southern Aube region, historically dubbed the ‘Montrachet of Champagne’. Managed by the enigmatic Emmanuel Lassaigne since 1999, the small domaine specialises in creating remarkable, non-dosage Blanc de Blancs. Emmanuel’s approach places ‘the wine before the bubbles’, using minimal sulphur, fermenting with native yeasts in wood, and applying a lower pressure to create a softer, vinous texture. These Champagnes are famous for their exotic, tropical fruit aromas balanced by intense, saline, and chalky minerality, making them highly sought-after for food pairings.