We held a centralised three-day tasting in Reims at the end of February. I also visited a number of producers, as many as I could, in February and March. Furthermore, I spent time tasting selected producers at Wine Paris, and a final tasting was conducted in Helsinki. The wines were tasted openly, which allowed me to take into consideration harvest year, terroir and winemaking specifics. Of the 328 wines tasted, 245 made it to the report, where we’re only including wines that reached 88 points and above.

This report’s producers very much spearhead Champagne’s new wave of sustainable, organic and biodynamic grower production (even if not all of them carry certifications). But one must bear in mind that they represent only a fraction of the 2000+ strong universe of grower Champagne. Also, defining small-producer Champagne is increasingly challenging as many are no longer registered as RM (récoltant-manipulant) but might have gone négociant, either to expand production or for other reasons. For example, Moussé Fils now purchases grapes from its neighbours in Cuisles but from vineyards that Cédric Moussé tends himself. Therefore, all producers included in this report are not grower-producers in the purest sense, but we consider them to fall here thanks to their way of working and their vinegrower soul.

The general level of the tasting was laudably high due to the pre-selection of producers, and further enhanced by wines based on the fine 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages now available on the market. I was particularly pleased to find as many as 11 magnificent wines reaching 95+ points.

Site-specific Champagne did extremely well in the tasting – indeed, my top five was filled with single-vineyard Champagne – which is no surprise, as many makers bottle their top, old-vine plots individually. Site-specific wines have become the tool of the contemporary grower-producer seeking to maximise terroir expression. Looking at the top performers in the report, quite a few originate far from the noblest vineyard addresses in Champagne, outside grand and premier cru locations. For producers like Ulysse Collin and Chartogne-Taillet, a unique winemaking style gives a strong signature to the terroir expression. But what all top performers share is meticulous craft: first, you must grow immaculate grapes, but then you need to continue with equally pedantic work in the cellar, a truly demanding task for such tiny-volume cuvées. I sensed this quest for perfection at every step in the beautiful wines of, for example, Suenen and Vilmart & Cie.

All the producers in the top ten can be considered new classics. However, I was thrilled to find a fine bunch of lesser-known growers excelling, too. I was particularly taken by the refined wines of Aurora Casanova, the rather intuitively crafted wines of Stéphane Regnault and the delightfully radiant bottles of Les Frères Mignon.

I am happy to see, little-by-little, a shift away from heavy-handedly oaky and notably oxidative Champagnes. Increasingly, many seem to seek transparency, purity and mineral tension – and a number of them achieve that, even with very low sulphites. The scope of Champagne styles is getting broader: compare the racy and radiantly fruity wines of Guiborat Fils to the deep and soulful wines of Dhondt-Grellet or Paul Gosset. The versatility is further being enriched by more exciting wines from the Côte des Bar, here represented by the meticuloutsly crafted cuvées of Clandestin and Domaine La Borderie.

Chardonnay did superbly well in tastings, taking most of the top positions. For pure Pinot Noir Champagne, which is a much more demanding style to master, my top three comprised Huré Frères 4 Éléments Pinot Noir 2017, Ulysse Collin Les Maillons Blanc de Noirs NV (2018) and Marguet La Grande Ruelle Ambonnay Grand Cru Lieu-Dit 2018. Passion for 100% Meunier is on the rise, and consequently we are seeing some outstanding examples. In the tasting, I was particularly charmed by Chartogne-Taillet’s wild and expressive Les Barres (2018) and Nicolas Maillart’s juicy Mont Martin 2018. Then we have the rapidly rising category of Coteaux Champenois – Champagne’s still wines – with recent warm vintages igniting a real boom. We didn’t receive enough bottles to have a conclusive sample, but the potential is undoubtedly there. (My top reference is not included in this report: Alexandre Filaine’s magnificent coteaux champenois rouge is not commercially available due to its small production).

Overall, even if we missed a number of producers who should have been here, I am really pleased with the outcome. However, the gigantic jump in grower Champagne prices is something that I follow with concern. Although I am happy that the hard work is paying off and value of Champagne is on the up, I see worrying signs of achieving too much, too quickly. It takes a lot of will power to stay loyal to one’s quest and resist the temptation of being overly flattered by fame and popularity. My advice? Keep calm and drink Champagne…

Tasting notes and scores from Club Oenologique’s Grower Champagne Report 2023 (featuring only those wines scoring 88 points and above) are available to all registered users of The Collection, the online home of our premium wine and spirits content. To register for free,click here. 

Discover more Champagne tasted and rated by Essi Avellan MW in the Champagne Report 2022.