Benchmark Ambonnay grower under Francis Egly, working old Grand Cru Pinot Noir at low yields with very long lees ageing for powerful, vinous Champagne.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits only by prior arrangement, subject to availability.
Signature wines: Egly-Ouriet Les Vignes de Vrigny, Egly-Ouriet Brut Grand Cru
Tip: Les Vignes de Vrigny is a rare 100 percent Pinot Meunier Premier Cru bottling.
Rilly-la-Montagne grower founded 1890, known for oak-fermented, Chardonnay-rich Premier Cru cuvees of depth and texture such as Coeur de Cuvee.
Tasting: Grower house; visits by appointment in Rilly-la-Montagne.
Signature wines: Vilmart Grand Cellier
Tip: Vilmart ferments in large oak casks, unusual for a Montagne de Reims grower.
Merfy grower with roots to 1683, led by Alexandre Chartogne toward terroir-driven, single-parcel Champagnes from the northern Massif de Saint-Thierry.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits by appointment in Merfy.
Signature wines: Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Sainte-Anne, Chartogne-Taillet Les Barres
Tip: Les Barres comes from ungrafted, own-rooted old Pinot Meunier vines.
Gueux micro-grower founded 1998 by Jerome Prevost, with a cult following for Meunier-dominant single-vineyard Champagne from the Les Beguines parcel.
Tasting: Tiny grower; visits by email appointment only, subject to availability.
Signature wines: La Closerie Les Beguines, La Closerie Fac-Simile Rose
Tip: Les Beguines is built almost entirely on old-vine Pinot Meunier, rare as a varietal cuvee.
Ecueil grower under Frederic Savart on the south Montagne de Reims, making precise, Pinot-led Premier Cru Champagnes from massale-selection vines.
Tasting: Small grower; visits by appointment in Ecueil.
Signature wines: Savart L'Ouverture
Tip: Savart works the prized pinot fin d'Ecueil, an old massale selection of Pinot Noir.
Ambonnay grower led by Benoit Marguet, farming Grand Cru vines biodynamically with horse ploughing, Demeter-certified, for vivid low-dosage Champagnes.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits by appointment in Ambonnay.
Signature wines: Marguet Shaman Grand Cru
Tip: Marguet has ploughed its vineyards with horses since 2010, unusual in Champagne.
Ludes grower established 1847, run by brothers Raphael and Vincent Bereche toward low-dosage, terroir-driven Champagnes with extended lees ageing.
Tasting: Grower estate; visits by appointment in Ludes.
Signature wines: Bereche Brut Reserve
Tip: Le Cran is a single-village Ludes Premier Cru that helped build the estate's modern reputation.
Benoit Marguet farms Grand Cru Ambonnay and Bouzy biodynamically, Demeter certified since 2008, and works toward minimal added sulfur, vinifying in amphora and old oak. The Sapience and single-plot cuvees push a low-addition, terroir-first style.
Tip: The single-plot cuvees show the low-sulfur, amphora-aged house style; ask which bottlings carry the least added sulfur.
Introduction to sabering with the Champagne Caroline Dufour team, just a stone's throw from Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral.
Discover Blanc de Noirs champagnes that pair perfectly with cheeses from our regions and beyond. Join us just a stone's throw from the Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral!
Taste Champagne at a family Champagne producer and a prestige Champagne house on a private day trip from Paris. Tour cellars and see the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims.