The rise of Grower Champagnes

Champagne is a diverse region that globally, up until recently, has been dominated by the big house names. And there is nothing wrong with the big names at all. In fact, you have to take your hat off to the likes of Veuve Clicquot, as a bottle of Veuve tastes the same whether you try it in Auckland, New York or Paris. Given the massive volumes of Veuve produced, that’s quite an accomplishment. This consistency comes from the art of blending, which has for a long time been at the heart of champagne. Blending is something the winemakers in Champagne do better than anyone else out there, hands down. There are, however, more chapters to region of Champagne and it’s only recently that we’ve started to get into the detail of each chapter.

Why now you might ask? A very valid question, however the answer is not so easy to pin point accurately. The rise of Grower Champagnes could be a desire from the Fine Wine market globally for different expressions. It would certainly be fair to say that the sommelier scene has had a big role to play. There are wine lists in most major cities of the world that now have nothing else but Grower Champagnes. Another reason could be access to markets and a desire to look outside the local market for growth. Whatever the reason is for the rise of Grower Champagnes around the world of late, one thing is for sure, there’s always been an abundance of Growers in Champagne. Visit the region and travel around it, tasting from one tiny producer to the next, and you’ll be amazed at the number of labels out there.
What exactly are Grower Champagnes? There are four different types of producers in the Champagne region. Négociants are producers that do not necessarily own all their vineyards and buy in some, or all, of the fruit they use for production. The Champagne region is made up of 299 houses with 1205 brand names. These houses own 10% of the vineyards they use, yet they are responsible for 69% of the sales. This in itself could be the key to why, until recently, we only heard about the big houses.  Then there are Cooperatives – an impressive 67 selling cooperatives in Champagne, with 2234 brand names. There are Buyers Own Brands, which are labels created by négociants for specific retailers. Finally, Grower Champagnes. Someone who owns the vineyard, grows the grapes, makes the wine and markets the wine. Grower Champagne houses tend to have far smaller production, with 4,000 – 150,000 bottles being the range in general. Compare that to 200,000 cases for Perrier Jouët, for example, and they are one of the smaller of the big houses.
Due to their small size and vineyard link, Grower Champagne producers tend to be very village specific. Unlike the big house names with their impressive blending across the region, Grower Champagne houses are terroir focused. Each grower has a unique story of place and the characteristics of that to share.
Non-vintage champagne is produced by blending together wines from recent vintages with what is known as reserve wines. This is done to produce a wine that is consistent in style year in and year out. Holding reserve stocks is very expensive and something that the big houses have the investment to do. Generally, Grower Champagnes have low reserve stocks and their non-vintage styles are a blend of two or three vintages. This is one of the reasons Grower Champagnes are sometimes criticised for inconsistency, though at the same time others praise them for their diversity.
There is a wide and diverse range of Grower Champagnes available in New Zealand now. Some are very esoteric and not everyone's tipple; some, though, verge more toward the bigger house styles we know well.

Serge Mathieu is located in the southern part of the Champagne region in the Côte des Bar. A family owned and run house that can trace its history back to 1665. While the family had been growing grapes in the region for many years, it was not until 1970 that they first bottled under their own label making 5000 bottles. The Côte des Bar is an area where mildew is a challenge. With that in mind, while they would love to be biodynamic, they work sustainably and as close to the edge of biodynamics as nature will allow. The average vine age is 50 years and production very traditional. Low filtration, low use of sulphur and gentle handling produces a delicate, though broad style, with a dominance of Pinot Noir. Total production is 100,000 bottles from 11ha that are spread across a 1km area.

Laherte is based in the village of Chavot and was established in 1889. It is currently run by the seventh generation and biodynamic for most of the production since 2005. The reason it is not 100% bio dynamic is that its 10ha are spread over 11 different villages and they don’t have the ability to watch all the vineyards at crucial times to ensure they could manage biodynamically. Winemaking here includes oak, with 280 barrels and some fudre. They do use ceramic tanks and stainless steel; really whatever the grapes that arrive suit best. The style of champagne produced here is eclectic and different every season. There is constantly a new wine and a new expression. These are wines for fine wine lovers. 100,000 bottles are produced.

J Lassalle is a champagne house run exclusively by women. ITt was originally established in 1942 by Jules Lassalle; when he passed away in 1982 his wife Olga and daughter Chantal stepped in and took over. In 2006 Angeline joined the estate. Their top cuvée is called Cuvée Angeline, which was created in 1973. Traditional in style and production, there are 45 different parcels that go into the wines, with Chardonnay being the predominant variety. Lassalle is the champagne house that really drove the US Grower Champagne market. Production is 100,000 bottles


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By: , Wine with Liz Wheadon, Glengarry

Issue 103 October 2019