Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts; bottles provided by The Wine Merchant
We want to buy local foods from local growers, don’t we? So shouldn’t we be buying champagne from the growers and not the “big houses”? We should, and we can. “Grower champagne” has been around for a long time; in fact, Champagne (the region) is founded on the basis of “growers” like no other major wine-growing region in the world. It actually has a law called “Contrôle des Structures,” which states that no single producer can own or rent more than 15 hectares of vines. It’s a self-governed system for the little guy—something you don’t see every day—and the sole reason for the large number of growers in the region.
In my opinion, the quality grower champagnes are unequaled when compared to the big houses—especially when comparing price—and truly show off the terroir of the land and skill of the vintner/grower. These champagnes aren’t necessarily hard to find, but you will have to look beyond the grocery store to a restaurant or a wine shop like The Wine Merchant. Here’s a handful that I recommend and where they can be found.
At Sidney Street Café, you’ll find the NV Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Reserve ($128) from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, also in the Côtes des Blanc region. This wine is born from a “modified solera,” an aging process that gives the wine weight and power, built on an ever-so-slight oxidation that gets rounded out by tastes of ripe lemon and orange blossom, with a rich brioche back note traveling on a wide, persistent mineral note. It’s a quality champagne that you won’t forget.
At Harvest Restaurant, you’ll find the NV Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuis Premier Cru ($97), from the small Premier Cru village of Cuis, located in the Côtes des Blanc region. This wine is an excellent example of what chardonnay-based champagne can offer. Here, racy minerality combines with tastes of crisp just-ripe lemons, limes, and grapefruits, surrounded by a chalky finish that goes best with caviar and raw shellfish, or birthdays, or anniversaries, or engagements, or…
The NV Jean Lallement et Fils Brut Grand Cru ($65 take-home, $74 on-premises) is from a Grand Cru village called Verzenay in the Montagne de Reims, a region known for its massive and powerful fruit profile, big and masculine with flavors of ripe quince, white peach, and white strawberries. This wine’s finish is long and doesn’t let up as the spice and mineral notes push through a mouth-coating-but-lean example of old vine fruit. It’s an “iron fist in a velvet glove” scenario, one you should not miss. Find it at 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar.
