Grow On Your Champagne Journey

Bubbles on the Brain

You will not work in the luxury service industry long without being exposed to the finest of Champagnes. If you are lucky that will start upon your arrival :) When I started, most of what I served and enjoyed were the grandes marques Champagnes of France such as Moet & Chandon, Krug, Taittinger, Cristal and Veuve Clicquot. They flowed fast and furious at times, just as many rap stars and luxury brands show on videos, in movies and on the beaches of St. Martin. What many do not realize is that these large producers own little if any of their vineyards. In fact, most source their grapes from hundreds of producers throughout the region of Champagne in search of maintaining a certain style. (Moet produces over 2 million cases and Veuve nearly 1.5 million cases per year). Whether they focus on the varietal such as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir; or they focus on a certain flavor profile and body, these Champagne producers create a consistent product year after year. That consistency in combination with great marketing has led to their dominance of the Champagne market. According to Food and Wine Magazine, the big Champagne houses produce around 70% of the Champagne available and nearly 97% of the Champagne sold outside of Europe.

Bigger is Not Always Better

Of the some 15,000 growers of grapes in Champagne, less than 5,000 grow, produce and bottle their own Champagne from their vineyards. In fact, Grower Champagnes account for a mere 3% of the Champagne available outside of France. However, over the past 10 years, more and more Grower Champagnes are reaching international markets through the dedication of key importers and the education of people like you to the magic created by small producers. Our interest in the place of origin of products we purchase is motivated by our need to trust the source of quality, right? In comparison to wines from other regions of France, the quality standards for Champagne are based on villages rather than specific vineyards. Thus, the 17 Grand Cru, or best growth designations and 44 Premier Cru, or first growth designations relate to entire villages.

Your Duty Rises in Fine Bubbles

Our job working on the finest yachts, in the most luxurious of villas and estates and with the most discerning of clientele, is not just to give them what they already know they want, but to also introduce them to what we know they will love based on their preferences and our expertise. In walks Grower Champagne. Grower Champagne is produced from just that, the growers of the grapes. These beautiful examples of Champagne often focus on a single grape rather than a blend, or a specific terroir, rather than on the replication of a consistent flavor profile. They are limited in production and hand made; artisinal elegance in a glass… Whereas big houses may purchase wines from up to 1000 different sites around the region of Champagne, Growers source from their limited acreage. Thus, we can look at Grower Champagnes much the same way we do other wines. We can understand where the grapes are grown, how they are grown and how the wine is made in terms of dosage. We can even better understand a wine based on how that particular land, weather and soil (The terroir) affects the result… This provides the kind of authenticity and uniqueness that many avid wine lovers seek. 

Educate Your Champagne Palate 

This is not to say you can just pick any one of these Grower Champagnes up willy nilly, but with a little education and joyous experimentation, you can open their eyes and your own to the greatness that lies within… This will add that extra bit and ensure they remember you and their experience for years to come.

Top Producers of Champagne and their Signature Style

Light and Crisp

• Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon:
• Roederer Cristal
• Billecart Salmon
• Perriet Joet
• Taittinger
• Veuve Clicquot

Medium Body and Complex

• Salon
• Deutz
• Pol Roger
• Krug
• Bollinger

Making the Switch

Unlike most of the big Champagne houses, which purchase grapes throughout the region of Champagne, Grand Cru villages such as Les Mesnil-sur-Oger, Ambonnay, Mailly, or Ay Champagnes produce some of the best grapes available. Now, many of the big houses obviously source their grapes from these Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages, but the extent to which is unknown due to the fact that they are blends. At the same time, many of these large Champagne houses ask for sums of upwards of $250-$700 per bottle regardless of where the grapes are sourced from.  These sums are based in part by their quality and in part by their company's reputation; reputations partially built on years of skillful marketing and sponsorship. Grower Champagnes, on the other hand provide that trust based on the village they are grown in, while asking for a fraction of the price. They are made by hand with great care and most often, generations upon generations of experience expressing the land, the grape and the craftsmanship within each individual bottle.

Michel Turgy Vineyard: The Harvest This entirely manual harvest will be pressed in our storehouse in a traditional Champagne press. The pressing finished and the must put into vats, a first natural fermentation will take place: the alcoholic fermentation which will transfer the sugar into alcohol. Thanks to our new thermoregulated vats, this very important stage will take place in ideal conditions. At this time the must has become wine.

Best Grower Options Similar in Style to the Famous Names of Champagne

As a Wine Broker, I get to taste hundreds of incredible limited production wines a year. Some of the best Grower Champagnes that I have enjoyed lately are from Egly Ouriet, Michel Turgy and Saint Chamant.

Egly Ouriet is a man of principle and absolute ideas about how grapes should be tended, wine should be made and the resulting Champagne should be stored and served. He takes such care in the vineyard that he is
rumored to not even let the wine buyer of the French Laundry interrupt him in the vineyard; for the vines need

him.

The NV Egly Ouriet Brut 'Tradition' Grand Cru that I recently tasted is a combination of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay and just full of finesse from some of the greatest old-vine vineyards of Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy and Versenay. The bubbles are fine and the nose of full of fruit compote and flowers, with a touch of vanilla and butter…

Like the most beautiful of crepes, it melts in your mouth. His Brut Rose is also up there with my favorites of 2014. The combination of 65% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, along with forty-eight months on the lees result in the most beautiful pale salmon color, nose of red currants, black cherries and a hint of pepper. Imagine all that with a hint of rose petal, just close your eyes and wonder. The perfume, poise and the grace of this Rose Champagne usually warrants a much higher price than you pay for this Champagne. A long lasting finish lingers as you decide whether or not you want to share… but you can't help it, because it is that good.

Michel Turgy offers another beautiful look into a Champagne that tastes far above its price point. Produced in the same area of Salon, Krug and Launois, this Grand Cru bubbly delights with a nose of toasted brioche, creamy butter, crunchy toffee and bunches of wild blossoms… When I tried this, I vowed to never enjoy Veuve again… (Can I say that? It is the truth). This is 100% Chardonnay and is a Champagne of grace and depth based on its noble Le Mesnil roots. You can taste the NV and a their 2004 side-by-side and enjoy the luxury of comparing the two. I have clients that love Champagne and swear by Turgy; ordering it by the case. Their 2004 was a stellar example of the vintage at a fraction of the price of the big names (The Turgy 2004 is under $75/bottle) Turgy will open your eyes to a great Champagne at a very reasonable price point.

Finally,Saint Chamant offers probably the most charming of stories. Their champagnes are of great quality, very age worthy, with extremely fine bubbles. He actually disgorges to order and his wife reportedly hand-labels each bottle. Sound romantic? It is and so is this Champagne! Getting ready for the Holiday Season I tasted the 2005
Saint-Chamant 'Millesime' Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru and smiled throughout the tasting. Saint-Chamant
was established in 1930 by Pierre and Hélène Coquillete. Their son, Christian, took over the estate in 1950.

Located in Epernay, Monsieur Christian Coquillette is a firm believer in aging Champagne and is committed to Chardonnay. It is hard to say how many bottles he has in his cellar, but most likely in the hundreds of thousands! Christian grows almost exclusively Chardonnay grapes in Chouilly, a village classified as Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs, as well as a small amount in Épernay. The vineyards are planted on limestone soil, growing on 10 inches of arable earth and directly on the "roche mère" or mother rock made of chalk descending for tens of meters. This mother rock acts as a huge sponge, soaking up the water when there is abundant rain and returning it in the drought periods. The characteristic of the sub-soil adds to the expression of aromas from the fruit and creates a refined wine. Saint-Chamant specializes primarily in Blanc de Blancs and they are a must try for anyone that enjoys Champagne.

In Conclusion… Seek and You Shall Find

Push your palate and those of your guests to the next level. Open your eyes to smaller producers. We do so with other varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the like; why not with the sparkling wines of Champagne? You will not look back… Go on the journey in 2015. You will appreciate it. Your guests and clients will remember it and thank you for it. There is much more to a bottle of Champagne than their bubbles and all the marketing in the world can't take away from that.

Catherine Harbour is a former yacht chef, now Wine Advisor for the Wine Spectrum in the heart of northern California Wine Country and can be reached at (707) 525-8466 or charbour@winespectrum.com. She can ship to all 50 States, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.