Grower Champagne

We love wine made by farmers. You have to start with excellent raw materials to make great wine. In France's Champagne region the wines are dominated by large producers who don't necessarily grow all of their own grapes. We're not knocking the big houses... they can make delicious wine. We taste a lot around here and we discovered the whole "grower champagne" scene in search of quality and value and we were happy to discover the story behind the movement. Production of grower champagne is tiny, less than 5% of the region's annual volume. Grower Champagne at The Merch represents about 1/3 of our selections from Champagne and we'd stock more if we could track them down. Here are two of our favorite growers...

"Unlike the brands that serve a mass market and aim for a consistent house style, the grower Champagnes are made artisanally in small batches - tens of thousands of bottles, compared with tens of millions for the bigger houses. Because the grapes come from the growers' own small estates, they tend to display that elusive quality known as terroir, which expresses a particular soil and climate. And because the growers don't have the huge marketing budgets that the grand marques do, their Champagne is often less expensive. Champagne from a grower in a top-rated grand cru village can be an especially good deal." -The New York Times

A. Margaine
"I was blown away by Arnaud Margaine's wines. These are Champagnes of extraordinary purity and sheer elegance. Margaine farms 6.5 hectares, 90% planted to Chardonnay, the rest Pinot Noir."
-The Wine Advocate

A. Margaine Champagne Demi-Sec
On Sale $49.99
"This is an utterly sensual wine that flows with the essence of perfumed white peaches, flowers, mint, pears and spices. So many Demi-Secs are forgettable, but not this one. Margaine has crafted a wine of extraordinary personality and elegance."
-Rated 90/100 The Wine Advocate

A. Margaine Champagne Brut Rose
On Sale $49.99
"Light, bright pink. Vibrant strawberry, raspberry and blood orange aromas are complemented by exotic floral and incense qualities, along with a zesty mineral undercurrent. Dry and sharply focused, offering racy red fruit and floral pastille flavors, with a slow-building note of honeysuckle. Youthful, sharply focused citrus notes linger on the spicy finish."
-Rated 91/100 Steve Tanzer, The International Wine Cellar

1999 A. Margaine Champagne Blanc de Blancs Special Club Brut
On Sale $75.99
"Light yellow. Very expressive, open bouquet evokes orange, poached pear and lemon pith. Fleshy, impressively polished citrus and orchard fruit flavors offer depth as well as cut, finishing with a pleasingly bitter anise quality. Became more vibrant with air, suggesting that this will repay cellaring.
-Rated 91+/100 Steve Tanzer, The International Wine Cellar

Pierre Peters
"It is hard to get a word in edge-wise with Rudolf Peters, as he is incredibly passionate, something that clearly comes through in these exceptional wines. The family-run domaine oversees 17.5 hectares of vineyards, 10 of which are planted with Chardonnay in the prestigious Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger. All of the wines undergo malolactic fermentation."
-The Wine Advocate


Pierre Peters Champagne Brut Cuvee Reserve
On Sale $52.99
"Light, bright green-gold, with a strong bead. Vivid citrus and green apple aromas are complicated by subtle lees, spice and brioche qualities, as well as a slow-building floral quality. Firm and focused, offering tangy orange and orchard fruit flavors along with anise and sweet butter. Gains weight with air but not at the expense of the crackling fruit. The citrus notes linger impressively on the finely etched finish. I really like this wine's delicacy and sneaky power."
-Rated 92/100 Steve Tanzer, The International Wine Cellar

2000 Pierre Peters Champagne Brut Cuvee Speciale
On Sale $99.99
"...a sumptuous, opulent wine that flows with layers of smoke, licorice, lime, minerals, ripe fruit and spices, all of which are supported by a gorgeous streak of minerality. This is an exciting, racy wine that I find completely irresistible and sensual."
-Rated 95/100 The Wine Advocate