‘Artisanal’ is a term often used to describe Grower Champagne; it’s not that Grandes Marques Champagnes (the term used for wines produced by the bigger well-known Champagne Houses) aren’t well-crafted; but they tend to be made with grapes bought in from various trusted growers, which is made to a ‘house style’ across vintages to ensure consistency, and produce a wine which wine buyers know they’ll enjoy.
Grower Champagne is quite different; the aim is to create wines that really speak of the vintage and terroir in which they were grown, reflecting the specific sub-region in which the wine was crafted rather than conforming to a particular style. You’ll more often find organic and biodynamic grape growing and low-intervention methods in the making of Grower Champagne, along with wild ferments, longer lees ageing and different riddling techniques. In short, there’s more freedom for these craftsmen to create Champagnes that convey a real sense of place.
Champagne sub-regions
Because Grower Champagnes tend to better reflect their terroirs it’s good to have a basic understanding of Champagnes four main sub-regions and the styles they produce:
Montagne de Reims - located around the Reims mountain, with vines planted on chalk-based soils, Pinot Noir is the principal grape grown here, making for rich, full-bodied and flavoursome Champagnes.
Vallée de la Marne – Pinot Meunier, the lesser known of Champagne’s permitted grape varieties, is the star of the show in Champagne’s biggest viticultural sub-region. Vineyards are found either side of the Marne river which flows through the region, and the wines from this region are often prized for showing a distinctiveness freshness.
Côte des Blancs – Chardonnay is king in this region, thriving on its chalky soils and sun-blessed south facing slopes. Blancs de Blancs (Champagne made only from white grapes) are, as you might expect, popular here, with Chardonnay bringing mouthwatering acidity, body and great ageing potential to the wines.
Côte des Bar – here you’ll find the most varied topography in the whole Champagne region, with a landscape of valleys and slopes providing plenty of potential for ripening sunlight as well as helping to protect from frost. Pinot Noir dominates here, and the slightly warmer climate makes for wines with slightly fuller body and flavour.