But REAL Champagne is only produced through a process called ‘Méthode Champenoise’ or ‘Traditional Method’:
WHAT IS GROWER CHAMPAGNE? Grower Champagne, also affectionately known as ‘Farmer Fizz’, is a class of Champagne made by producers who produce wines from their very own grapes - from vineyards they own, vineyards they work within, vineyards they deeply respect. Unlike the major Champagne ‘houses’ who rely largely on bought-in grapes and sometimes 1,000s of grapegrowing contracts to make their wines, Grower Champagne producers utilize their very own vineyard holdings year after year. Growers produce bubbly that really shows individuality because they are vinified in small quantities and are able to beautifully express a particular village, vineyard, vintage or style. Often you will find Grower Champagne made with grapes from Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages -- the same top villages used to make Dom Perignon and other prestige bottlings – but Growers sell their prestige bottlings at much lower prices than the big Champagne houses. When you buy Grower Champagne you aren’t subsidizing the multi-million dollar marketing budgets of the big Champagne houses, you are instead purchasing an authentic product from a highly skilled producer whose heart and soul goes into the bottle – these people making Grower Champagne are known as Recoltant-Manipulants, or grower-producers… RECOLTANT-MANIPULANT A special class of Champagne producer who makes and markets Champagne under their own label, made from grapes exclusively sourced from their own vineyards and processed on their own premises. These Grower Champagnes can be identified on their labels by the tiny letters ‘RM’ followed by a set of numbers. |
FOCUS WINES
Aubry Brut
Chartogne Taillet Cuvee Ste. Anne Denis Chaput Mesogee Brut NV Gaston Chiquet Tradition Geoffroy Expression Geoffroy Rosé de Saignee Goutorbe Cuvee Prestige |
Hebrart Cuvée de Reserve
Henri Billiot Brut Rosé Jeanaux-Robin Eclats Extra Brut Lalemment Brut Reserve Michell Mailliard Cuvee Gregory Brut Moussé Fils l’Or Eugene Mouzon Leroux L’Atavique |
Pierre Gimmonet Cuvée Fleuron
Pierre Gimmonet Special Club 2012 Pierre Gimmonet Blanc de Blancs Pierre Peters Cuvee de Res BDB Vilmart Grand Cellier 1st Cru Waris Hubert Amorial Blanc de Noirs |