When most people think of Champagne, they tend to think of the ‘Les Grande Marques’; the large, world-famous houses that dominate the shelves and the market. The likes of Moët & Chandon’s Dom Pérignon, Krug, Perrier-Jouët or Louis Roederer’s Cristal, have worked hard to create an aura of exclusivity and luxury that’s now become synonymous with the wine itself.
However, there’s another side to Champagne, where you can enjoy all of the quality without the eye-watering price tag. Recently dozens of new, high-quality cuvées have emerged, and they’re not coming from the old guard’s cellars. Grower champagne is fast becoming one of the most exciting categories in the wine world, as independent, avant-garde producers are redefining rarity in their image, with ultra-limited, single vineyard bottlings. What sets them apart is their focus on smaller scale production and a return to a more ‘authentic’ style of winemaking. Producers are going back to their roots to redefine what the very best Champagne could mean.
Not only are you getting better value, but the merging brands are often more experimental and interesting than the vintages produced by the bigger houses, which are confined by centuries of tradition. Smaller producers can be much more nimble and daring, and the results are evident in the finished product.
Champagne Collery
Champagne Collery is a boutique champagne house located in Aÿ is located near Epernay in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for producing some of the finest champagnes. Established in 1893, the house has built a reputation for crafting high-quality champagnes that reflect the unique terroir of the region. Over the years, Champagne Collery has focused on producing elegant, terroir-driven wines with a commitment to sustainable viticulture and traditional winemaking techniques. They’re even garnering awards with the recent Master medal win for the Champagne Collery NV Brut Grand Cru.
One of the hallmarks of Champagne Collery is its focus on local Grand Cru vineyards, recognized as some of the best in the region, offering ideal conditions for growing the key grapes of the region. All of Champagne Collery’s grapes are sourced here giving their champagnes a distinctive character, marked by richness, complexity, and finesse.
The house produces a variety of styles, from non-vintage blends to vintage cuvées. Their champagnes are known for their expressive aromas, fine bubbles, and a well-balanced profile that often includes notes of brioche, citrus, stone fruits, and subtle minerality. Champagne Collery’s vintage offerings are especially prized for their ability to age gracefully, developing additional layers of complexity over time.
What sets Champagne Collery apart is its emphasis on small-scale production and attention to detail. As an independent champagne house, it operates outside the larger corporate conglomerates that dominate much of the champagne industry. This independence allows Collery to maintain a strong focus on quality, craftsmanship, and the unique expression of its terroir.
In recent years, Champagne Collery has gained recognition among wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs who appreciate its dedication to producing authentic, high-quality champagnes. It was the only wine in the non-vintage category to win a Master medal at the Champagne Masters 2024, marking it as an outstanding example of its type. Judges praised the bottle for its aromas of yellow plum, peach, pear and strawberry, as well as its “exceptional concentration framed by brisk acidity and satin-textured mousse with a lingering, lifted finish”. The house’s other bottles also saw awards come their way. The Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and NV Brut Rosé Grand Cru were all awarded Gold medals by the expert judges, and Collery achieved the very top medal for its core cuvée in a veritable clean sweep.
A top quality Champagne at a snip of the price.
We recommend: Champagne Collery NV Rosé Grand Cru
The NV Rosé Grand Cru is a blended rosé with Pinot Noir elegantly balanced with Chardonnay. With plenty of rose, raspberry and rhubarb, this is a wine to be enjoyed in any season.
Porte Noire Champagne
In line with their experimental approach, non-marque Champagnes are often made by people who’ve left other careers to pursue a passion for wine, or branched out into a new avenue, and there are few more famous than Idris Elba, who’s label Porte Noire has been garnering critical and consumer acclaim since its launch in 2018. Founded in collaboration with wine expert David Farber, Porte Noire aims to produce high-quality, artisanal wines and champagnes while emphasising craftsmanship and heritage. It’s clearly a labour of love. With a distinct focus on independently sourced grapes and small-scale production, the brand has carved out a unique niche in the luxury wine market, particularly within the growing independent champagne sector. Elba’s involvement adds a level of prestige and marketability that has attracted a younger, more diverse audience to a traditionally exclusive product. This has helped challenge the perception that champagne is reserved only for elite consumers, broadening its appeal and winning them a new legion of fans.
Working to promote lesser-known, boutique growers in the region, Porte Noire’s wines are made in collaboration with the prestigious Coopérative de Sanger, a small, independent producer located in Avize, Champagne. Going back centuries and with a storied history of their own, Sanger’s vineyards are rooted in the Champagne region’s rich tradition, and their methods emphasise sustainable farming and minimal intervention, producing wines of authenticity, heritage and exceptional quality.
We recommend: Porte Noire Vintage Grand Cru Champagne 2013
The Porte Noire Champagne Grand Cru is an original expression of matured Chardonnay, reflecting the chalky earth and expressive flavours of the grape. Rounded notes of apple, pear and toast dominate the bouquet, while zippy lemon notes linger on the palate alongside a gorgeous note of heavily buttered toast which enhance the richness, while the finish is crisp and smooth. Simply, it’s an excellent, exceptionally well-balanced Champagne.
Louis Nicaise
Louis Nicaise is a family-owned champagne house based in Hautvillers, a village renowned for its deep roots in champagne history and known as the home of Dom Pérignon. Established in 1928, Champagne Louis Nicaise has built a strong reputation for crafting artisanal champagnes that reflect both tradition and the unique terroir of the Montagne de Reims. Currently managed by the fourth generation of the Nicaise family, the house continues to operate on a small scale, focusing on quality and sustainable winemaking practices.
Louis Nicaise is particularly known for its Premier Cru vineyards, which are among the finest in the Champagne region. The family’s nine hectares of vineyards are primarily planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, and the house emphasises low-intervention methods both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Their commitment to sustainable viticulture includes organic and biodynamic practices, ensuring the long-term health of the land while enhancing the purity of the wines.
What distinguishes Champagne Louis Nicaise is its hands-on, family-oriented approach to winemaking. Each member of the family is involved in various aspects of the business, from vineyard management to production and sales. This personal touch is reflected in the house’s limited production, allowing them to focus on crafting champagnes that highlight the specific characteristics of their terroir.
The house’s champagnes are known for their elegance, complexity, and balance. With a range of styles, from non-vintage brut to vintage and rosé champagnes, Louis Nicaise offers wines that are rich in character, with fine bubbles, vibrant acidity, and flavours that often include citrus, orchard fruits, toast, and subtle minerality. These champagnes are versatile, making them suitable for both celebratory occasions and sophisticated dining.
We Recommend: Louis Nicaise Brut Reserve NV
Lively and fruity, with a pronounced nose of toast, orchard and stone fruits, and caramel, followed by a mineral saline mouthfeel. Rich on the palate, it is surmounted by a fine and sustained bubble leading to a long syrupy finish.
So if you’re looking for a fizz that’s both interesting, delicious and easier on the pocket, it’s absolutely worth exploring some of these smaller producers. You’ll almost certainly unearth some hidden gems in the range, and that’s always cause for a celebration!
