3 Great Independent Champagne Producers in the Countryside Worth Visiting

Champagne is arguably the most famous wine region in France, and rightly so. It’s the most renowned bubbly in the world. Champagne is subject to strict rules and is harder to produce than still wine. Only three types of grapes can be used to make Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.  The variety of Champagnes comes from the blending of these wines and the amount of sugar added at the end of production.  

But as we’ve reported, most Champagne is produced not by the well-known “big houses” like Moet and Taittinger but by the 4,300 small, independent family-owned grower-producers who have been making Champagne for generations. They keep the best, most prestigious juice from their first grape pressing for their own production and sell the second, lesser-quality pressing to the big brands.

So how does one meet these independent Champagne producers? While several wine bars and restaurants in the Champagne region sell Champagne from the small outfits, it’s best to get out into the countryside to not only taste the wine right where it’s produced, but also to enjoy the scenery and see firsthand how Champagne is made. Plus, you’ll get to sample a wider variety of blends and styles that way.

The easiest way to meet independent Champagne producers is to take a tour and let someone else who knows the region and the growers do the driving. Not all of these places are open to the public.

Several tour operators offer day trips to these smaller Champagne producers, mostly from the towns of Reims (“rahnce”) and Epernay, both in the heart of the Champagne region. The growers we visited were less than 45 minutes from town. We greatly enjoyed our day trip with Xavier from Sparkling Tour.

Here are three great independent Champagne producers in the countryside worth visiting. All three wineries are small, family-run places, and as we’ve noted, the bottles are reasonably priced (24-45 euros) for Champagne of such high quality.

Veuve Maitre-Geoffroy

The first Champagne producer we visited was Veuve Maitre-Geoffroy in the village of Cumieres. Founded in 1878 and held on to by Veuve (“widow”) Geoffroy after her husband died, the winery has been producing Champagne for four generations. It’s very traditional and decidedly non-touristy. After a detailed private tour and explanation of how Champagne is created, we enjoyed a private tasting. We sampled:

Pulsation, Premier Cru, 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir, 33% Pinot Meunier 😊++

Ferveur Millesime, Premier Cru, 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir 😊++

Cumieres Rouge, a still Rosé, 50% each of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier 😊++

Champagne le Gallais

The second winery we visited, Champagne le Gallais in the village of Boursault, has been in the same family for five generations, and the estate was once owned by Madame Veuve Clicquot, founder of the famous Champagne House Veuve Clicquot. This visit focused on the tasting. We sampled:

Cuvée Des Cedres, 50% Pinot Meunier, 35% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay 😊 😊

La Pavilion, Blanc de Blanc, 100% Chardonnay 😊 😊

Le Poete, a Rosé, 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Pinot Meunier 😊++

The Tomb of Dom Perignon

If you’re going to venture into the Champagne countryside, one detour I recommend is to the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers in the village of Hautvillers. The Abbey was established in AD 678 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s interesting and very pretty.

But it’s also where Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, who was the Abbey’s innovative cellar master until he died in 1715, is buried. Technically he was not the actual inventor of Champagne, but he did introduce elements important to Champagne production, such as blending and aggressive vine pruning to increase the consistency of the vines.   

Louis Brochet

The third winery we visited, Louis Brochet in Ecueil, has been producing Champagne since 1881. This family produces mainly Champagne as well as some still wines. They use modern presses but have one from 1953 on display.

After another extensive private tour, we enjoyed a leisurely tasting overlooking the vineyards as the sun set. We sampled:

Brut Heritage, 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier😊😊 

Brut Nature Heritage (no added sugar)😊++

Cuvée Rosé 1^st Cru Millesime, 62% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 5% red wine 😊++

I hope this intel about three great independent Champagne producers in the countryside worth visiting entices you to make the trek when in the region. Levons nos verres! (Let’s raise our glasses!).

What wine region should we visit next?  Weigh in: We’d love your advice. We’re at info@winewithourfamily.com. 

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