Champagne is the perfect accompaniment to any table! Pair a classic Brut with steak or fried foods, a Blanc de Blancs with caviar, oysters and light fish. Use a dry Extra-Brut for lobster and roast chicken.
Below you will find a brief primer on the different producers of champagne as well as our recommendations for each. Enjoy!
By now, you may have heard the terms “grower Champagne” and “Farmer fizz” kicked around...but you might not know what this means. Quite simply, these are Champagnes produced by the same estate that owns the vineyards from which the grapes come. This allows the estate to focus on the unique “terroirs” or characteristics of the village where they are located - instead of trying to produce a basic “house style” by purchasing grapes from many growers throughout the region. We are fans of many of the big houses as well, but grower Champagnes should not be ignored as they represent an entirely different Champagne experience. They typically use lower dosage (sugar) levels, which means a drier style, and the wines tend to be a bit more food friendly. Try a few different producers’ efforts from some of the different villages - you will be amazed at the differences in style and impressed with the consistency and complexity.
How do you spot a Grower Champagne? Check the label for the words Récoltant-Manipulant (or the initials "RM") or "Proprietaire-Récoltant." These translate roughly to "bottled by the grower."
We recommend :
Pierre Peters - Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvee de Reserve
Maisons (aka ‘Houses’) make up 87% of the Champagnes imported into the USA. Champagne houses buy their grapes from lots of grape growers from all over the region. The Maisons focus on blending grapes from different regions and vintages to produce a consistent taste every year. Maisons are the large Champagne brands or ‘negociants’ (neg-gosse-see-yont) that have familiar names such as Moët, Veuve Clicquot, Perrier, Bollinger, etc. Maison Champagnes are widely available and are famous for making appearances at special events.
We recommend:
Deutz - Brut Classic
Pol Roger - Brut Reserve
Ruinart - Brut Blanc de Blancs (the oldest Champagne house)
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
Co-ops are typically wines from a specific village in Champagne and from grapes grown around that village. Growers who don’t have all the sparkling wine making equipment can opt into a village co-op. There are many different ways in which co-ops function, but usually, the growers supply their grapes to the co-op and the chief winemaker makes the final cuvées. The Champagnes can be labeled individually for the growers and they can be labeled as the co-op brand. Cooperative Champagnes are typically labeled with the letters ‘CM’ for ‘Coopérative Manipulant’ in small print on the bottom of the front label.
Nicolas Feuillatte is the largest and best known Champagne co-op.
Agrapart's NV Brut Blanc De Blancs 7 Crus - named for the seven Cote des Blancs villages from which it is sourced displays uncommon delicacy, buoyancy, tension and nuance for an 'intro-level' cuvee.
The latest release of the NV Brut R?serve was disgorged in October 2019 with seven grams per liter dosage, and it's based on the 2017 vintage. Exhibiting a glass bouquet of citrus oil, oyster shell, fresh peach and toasted nuts, it's medium to full-bodied...
Billecart-Salmon - Brut Reserve NV 750ml
Disgorged with two grams per liter dosage, Billecart-Salmon's 2009 Extra Brut Vintage is more giving and demonstrative than its 2008 counterpart, offering up inviting aromas of crisp stone fruit, yellow apple, brioche, honeycomb and warm pastry. Medium to...
Based on the 2014 vintage, supplemented by some 30% of reserve wines, Billecart's newly released NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru offers up a classic bouquet of freshly baked bread, crisp orchard fruit, citrus oil and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, c...
A perennial favorite. Always one of the finest and most elegant of the rose Champagnes.
Billecart-Salmon - Brut Rose NV 1.5L
Bollinger - Brut Special Cuvee NV 750ml