Hey, Grower!
When you see champagne like Moët&Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Mumm, Pommery or other Big Champagne Houses, the grower champagne is a “different animal”. It´s totally different in taste, philosophy, design and accessibility. Some would say – it´s not for everybody, but as it’s so versatile, I would encourage to try some and I’m sure, you will find one to fell in love with!
Grower champagne is made by one individual passionate winegrower (or the family), who has his own grapes and has chosen his own style for the wine. This means, champagne is produced by the same estate that owns the vineyards, where the grapes are grown and this greatly impacts the expression of the delicate taste of champagnes, the unique character of the terroir. Actually, the most significant is the base wine (vin clair), the bubbles come afterwards.
This champagne comes from tiny small parcels in Champagne wine region and the grapes are grown with lot of care and attention by the grower. The production is very small and best champagnes are highly demanded among those, who understand the high quality and added value of it.
First thing to remember, talking about the grower champagne is terroir – this wine represents the individual character of the origin (climate, altitude, aspect and soil composition) – the sense of the place in Champagne region, where it is grown. It affects the quality, acidity, flavors and aromas of the grapes, so the wine will contain and show all these characteristics of this specific place and vintage, when it was made. Grapes are treated as gentle as possible, zero dosage or extra brut (sugar level in the wine) is very common to enhance the delicacy of flower and fruit aromas, fresh, crispy acidity accompanied with finesse, complexity and elegance with creamy texture, followed by pure ocean salinity at the end, that is effected exclusively by the Champagne region soil rich with ancient marine fossils.
Secondly, the philosophy of the winemaker has to be taken into account – each bottle represents conscientious work of many years, personal preferences about art of vinification, character and the great personality of the winemaker.
Grower champagne is smart, lively and authentic wine, that you will not find in supermarket. Some of them you will may not find at all, because they are so rare, exclusive, sold or already consumed. In contrast, Big Champagne Houses are presented in most of supermarkets all over the world, they buy most of their grapes from many different growers throughout the region and work to blend their wines to achieve the same taste every year.
Single estate, single vineyard, singe grape variety, singe vintage – mostly it is all about grower champagne. The growers always will select the best grapes for themselves, before selling the rest, if selling at all.. I find it smart and charming.
Besides, grower champagne has low phenolic content (chemical compounds) that contributes to high acidity and long-living potential of the wine. It meets all the great wine criteria, that sommeliers all around the world are searching for:
Balance
Complexity
Intensity
Delicacy
Sense of the place (terroir)
Ability to age
One more thing – champagne is extremely food friendly wine, so do not hesitate to pair it with all kind of food you prefer – meat, fish, pizza, pommes, cheeses, Asian dishes, vegan and vegetarian food, cakes and desserts, of course with caviar and oysters, if you have them in the fridge. It is fantastic beverage!
Cheers!