For being relatively small, Champagne may be the most regulated wine region on the planet. Overseeing all of the rules and regulations is the Committee for Viticulture of Champagne, whose professional staff is directed by a board of governors, consisting of both growers and houses. While growers actually own ninety percent of the 84,000 acres in the appellation, it is the “houses” that produce the majority of all Champagne in the region. Some houses have their own vineyards and buy additional grapes from the growers. Most growers sell the majority of their grapes to houses, but some growers keep the fruit and produce wines for their own label. Other growers have formed cooperatives that use their grapes under a specific label. This arrangement has set up a working relationship filled with layers of complexity – like Champagne itself.
Since one hectare (about 2.5 acres) of vineyard land in Champagne costs approximately $1.4 million dollars, newcomers are rare. Most growers have had the land in their families for multiple generations and maintain long term contracts with cooperatives or houses.
Co-ops will usually collect grapes from vineyards in a specific region and will produce wines based on a style. Growers who produce wines from their own vineyards have the ability to make vineyard-specific wines that reflect more of a sense of place as opposed developing a brand style. This week, I’ll review wines of growers and cooperatives and next week I’ll cover houses.
A quick reminder; only wines made in the tiny Champagne region in France — using the strict M?thode Champenoise — can be called Champagne. The term non-vintage (NV) indicates that it’s a blend from several other years worth of wines from the same producer. For example, a current NV might be made mostly with wines from the 2005 vintage with a blend of wines from earlier vintages. This method is used to achieve uniformity in style from year to year.
The largest cooperative in Champagne is Nicolas Feuillatte. With over 5,500 growers in the co-op, it produces over 8 million bottles of Champagne annually. That may sound like a lot of wine, but considering that the region produces over 340 million bottles of bubbly per year, it’s just a drop in the Champagne bucket. Given the sizeable production, the Non-vintage Nicolas Feuillatte Brut ($28) is remarkably refined, with notes of toasted brioche and crisp apple on the front of the palate and a touch of roasted hazel nuts on the medium-balanced finish.
Representing one of the oldest wine regions in the area is Champagne Mailly, a prominent co-op made of up of 70 growers. All of the grapes sourced for the wine come exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards near the village of Mailly. This quality is expressed in the chalky minerality of the Non-vintage Mailly Brut Reserve ($55) which supports flavors of rip apple, honey and bees wax. Moderate acidity keeps the wine fresh and in balance.
Growers pride themselves on making wines that have a sense of place, or terroir, and few do it better than Pierrer Gimonnet. The Non-vintage Pierrer & Fils Blanc de Blancs Brut ($40) is made exclusively from chardonnay and boasts flavors of creamy lemon and nectarine that are elegantly woven into a round, balanced wine with wonderful structure and tiny, precise bubbles.
Collard-Picard is a grower/producer with deep roots — figuratively and literally — in Champagne. Husband Oliver Collard is a fifth generation grower and his wife, Caroline Picard, is fourth generation. Together, they make wines of artisanal quality, like the Non-vintage Collard-Picard “Prestige” Brut Champagne ($45). A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the wine is aged in oak casks, blended, and then aged for over three years. Flavors of biscuit highlight notes of apple blossom, peach and honey on the front of the palate. Crisp acidity and mineral notes provide a remarkably fresh and balanced finish.
