5 Amazing Grower CHAMPAGNES You Must Try!

Hi everybody, this is Agnes from No Sediment and today let's explore five amazing, like really amazing, artisanal champagne houses you should seek out and pop open. I am sure we all know and love Grand Marx. Those champagne houses that have earned worldwide recognition for consistently delivering high quality bubbles. Names like Bollinger, Tétangé, Rounard and Bélicard Salmon, they all make beautiful champagne, all have great stories to tell and distinctive style to offer. However, increasingly we see emergence of smaller producers, some who only make champagne from vineyards they own, commonly known as grower champagnes. If this comes as a surprise to you, yes, the reality is that the majority of champagne houses and certainly the most renowned ones will buy grapes from grape growers to satisfy the demand and then vinify and bottle these champagnes under their own labels. It is not necessarily something bad, as often these are decades-long contracts based on trust and respect. But today I am here to encourage you to try these smaller artisanal champagne houses. Those that have either chosen to make their own wine instead of selling grapes to larger estates or have always done it. I want to emphasize that you can identify them by finding a code on the bottle and all the growers should have RM on the label signifying Recoltant Manipulant as opposed to NM which stands for Négociant Manipulant. However, given that vineyards are sometimes co-owned by siblings or multiple family members who bottle their wines under one label, some of these estates may not feature RM on the label even though they exercise full control over their vineyards. So here are my current top five small grower champagnes that you can pop open with your family or friends, business partners or wine club members or whoever you want to share this great experience with. Egli Ore has always held a special place in my heart and now that it has achieved cult status, nobody doubts its quality. The majority of Francis Egli vineyards are located in Ambonnet with some in Bouzy and Verzenet as well, which means this estate is more focused on red grape varieties of champagne. They value ripeness of the fruit and harvest their grapes quite late. Egli vinifies portions of their grapes in old oak barrels, a practice not always favored by wine critics of champagne. However, this translates into rich and intensely concentrated champagnes with enormous complexity. Additionally, he chooses to limit the dosage between one to four grams per liter, making the champagnes toward bone-dry style. Given this estate's current esteemed status, these are not going to be cheap or easy to obtain champagnes, but I truly think they are worth it. They are structured, long-lasting and long-living champagnes. I sometimes even describe them as vinos as the mousse only adds yet another texture to otherwise concentrated palate. Laert Frere is a lesser-known estate that hasn't reached worldwide recognition yet, but I have fallen in love with them anyways. It actually has a long history in the region, dating back to 1889 and currently is run by the 7th generation Aurelien Laert. They follow organic and biodynamic practices in their vineyards and allow terroir to shine through in their wines. The majority of their wines will be fermented in old neutral oak casks with each plot treated separately. I have tasted this estate next to other well-regarded champagne houses and it excels. Laert Frere makes beautifully elegant, delicate champagnes that show precision, a chalky and almost nervy minerality, yet remain inviting and open. By the way, this is one of those estates that will not have RM on the label, simply because the vineyards are owned by multiple family members. Chartogne Taillette is a champagne house that might be hard to come by. Yet, if you do, I advise to get your hands on it, no questions asked. It is led by the young and immensely talented Alexandre Chartogne, who took over the estate in 2006, when he was only 23 years old. He has worked with Anselm Solos, one of the most important and influential winemakers in Champagne, whose status as a cult winemaker in the region is beyond doubt. As for Chartogne Taillette, I am in love with his regular non-vintage Cuvée Saint-Anne, which is quite reasonably priced, given its status. However, the absolute best offerings are his single vineyards, with one of my favorite being Les Berres, which is, hear me out, made from often considered lesser grape variety of Champagne, Mounier. The wines in this vineyard are old and still on their original rootstock, making truly gorgeous champagnes. I have been fortunate enough to taste this wine on several occasions, and the intensity, concentration, and depth of the fruit are of the highest standard. Yet, it still possesses elegance and finesse. L'Armagné Bernier is located in Côte de Blanc and is naturally closely linked with Chardonnay grape. They own vineyards in some of the best sites of The winemaker Pierre L'Armagné also strives for ripeness in his wines, and that translates into plump and opulent yet highly elegant and elevated style of champagnes. I appreciate how their winemaking approach varies with each vintage, as opposed to following a standardized approach year after year. Many wine enthusiasts admire their bone-dry Terre de Vertus, but my personal favorite is their Le Chemin d'Avis, sourced from vineyards that used to be blended in their Longitude wine. Now vinified separately, it truly shows the potential of these wines. Intense, concentrated, long-lasting, and truly exceptional champagnes. Agrapa is another great estate, widely appreciated for its clean, precise, and terroir-driven wines. Agrapa has plots in some of the best vineyards in Côte de Blanc, such as Auger, Cramon, and Avis, and is the owner of some of the oldest wines in the Champagne region. Emphasizing the uniqueness of each soil type, Agrapa vinifies each plot separately. He strives for ripeness and will ferment his wines in old or really old oak barrels, and yet his wines are always so precise and crystalline-like. As with many growers, these champagnes also feature no or very little dosage, making them bone-dry and steely in style. One of their most famous champagnes is Binus, a 100% Chardonnay, sourced from a single vineyard and named after a horse that works their vineyards. So be adventurous, try something new, and these 5 Champagne houses is a safe place to start. And if you want to know more about grower champagnes in general, make sure to watch this video.