Grower Champagne

Grower Champagnes are sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France that are produced by the same estate that owns the vineyards from which the grapes come.

While large Champagne houses, such as Mumm, may use grapes sourced from as many as 80 different vineyards, Grower Champagnes tend to be more terroir focused, being sourced from single or closely located vineyards around a village.

Today there are over 19,000 independent growers in the Champagne region, accounting for nearly 88% of all vineyard land in the region.

Around 5000 of these growers produce wine from their own grapes. A Grower Champagne can be identified by the initials RM (meaning Récoltant-Manipulant) on the wine label.

Grower Champagnes have been described as "artisanal winemaking" with terroir being at the forefront for each wine, rather than an emphasis on a consistent "house style" that can be made year after year.

While large Champagne houses, such as Moët et Chandon may source grapes from the entire Champagne region, the vineyards owned by a Grower Champagne maker are generally clustered around a single village.

Some growers will craft their wine to reflect the terroir of that village, especially if they own vineyards in one of Champagne's Grand crus.

Grower Champagnes are often released younger than their large house counterparts due, in part, to the greater financial resources that would be needed for long term aging and storage.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grower_Champagne



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