Family house at Urville in the Cote des Bar, founded 1808, Pinot-led and a custodian of Champagne's rare grapes through its four-grape Quattuor.
Signature wines: drappier-carte-dor-brut, drappier-quattuor
Tip: Quattuor blends the rare Arbane, Petit Meslier and Blanc Vrai with Chardonnay.
Address: Rue des Vignes, 10200 Urville, France, Champagne
Cuis Chardonnay grower bottling since 1935, with major Cote des Blancs holdings including Cramant and Chouilly, making crisp, precise Blanc de Blancs.
Tasting: Grower reception and tasting in Cuis, Monday to Friday and Saturday by appointment.
Signature wines: gimonnet-cuis-1er-cru, gimonnet-fleuron
Tip: The family owns more Cote des Blancs vineyard than almost any other grower.
Seventh-generation Bouzy grower founded 1833, working 100 percent Grand Cru vines, Pinot Noir-led with a renowned rose and the rare still Bouzy Rouge.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits by appointment in Bouzy.
Signature wines: paul-bara-grand-rose-de-bouzy, paul-bara-brut-reserve
Tip: All the fruit comes from Grand Cru Bouzy, famed for ripe, powerful Pinot Noir.
Chouilly Grand Cru Chardonnay grower founded 1954 under Jean-Pierre Vazart, making generous, single-village Blanc de Blancs with a large perpetual reserve.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits by appointment in Chouilly.
Signature wines: vazart-coquart-grand-bouquet, vazart-coquart-special-club
Tip: All fruit comes from Grand Cru Chouilly at the northern end of the Cote des Blancs.
Cramant Chardonnay grower making Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from the Cote des Blancs, with the old-vine, oak-fermented prestige cuvee Fleur de Passion.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits by appointment in Cramant.
Signature wines: diebolt-vallois-blanc-de-blancs, diebolt-vallois-fleur-de-passion
Tip: Fleur de Passion is fermented in old oak from old vines and made without malolactic.
Dizy grower bottling estate Champagne since the 1930s, with the rare Blanc de Blancs d'Ay from Chardonnay grown in the Pinot stronghold of Ay.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits by appointment in Dizy.
Signature wines: gaston-chiquet-tradition-1er-cru, gaston-chiquet-blanc-de-blancs-day
Tip: Its Blanc de Blancs d'Ay is a rare Chardonnay grown in a village famed for Pinot Noir.
Prestige Reims maison founded in 1843, owned by LVMH, built on a multi-vintage reserve blend across all three main grapes for its Grande Cuvee.
Tasting: By appointment only through the Krug hospitality programme; the family house is not open to the general public.
Signature wines: krug-grande-cuvee, krug-clos-du-mesnil
Tip: Each Grande Cuvee release carries an ID code linking it to its blend and disgorgement.
