Grower Champagne

The Les Champagnes de Vignerons ("Vinegrower Champagnes") sign is displayed by many producers of Grower Champagne at their facilities. In this case Chartogne-Taillet in Merfy.

Grower Champagnes or Artisan Champagnes are Champagnes produced by the estate that owns the vineyards where the grapes are grown. Récoltant-Manipulant is the term in French, and Grower Champagnes can be identified by "RM" on the wine label.[1] While large Champagne houses such as Mumm, Moët et Chandon and Veuve Clicquot may use grapes from as many as 80 different vineyards in the Champagne region to create a consistent house style, Grower Champagnes tend to be more terroir-focused, sourced from a single vineyard or closely located vineyards around a village, and made with grapes which vary with each vintage.[2] Today there are over 19,000 independent growers in the Champagne region,[citation needed] accounting for nearly 88% of vineyard land in the region; around 5,000 of these growers produce wine from their own grapes.[citation needed] Of the Champagne imported into the US in 2014, only 5% was Grower Champagne.[3]

  1. ^ T. Stevenson, ed. The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (4th Edition) pg 170-172 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0-7513-3740-4
  2. ^ S. Pitcher, Grower-made Champagnes are an elegant alternative to big-house bubblies San Francisco Chronicle, December 16, 2004
  3. ^ Getting into Grower Champagne Wine Folly, December 31, 2014