Less than a decade back the grower champagne movement still seemed ‘underground’ and only in its infancy. Fast forward to today - thanks to social media, a handful of devoted importers, and more informed wine... Read More

Less than a decade back the grower champagne movement still seemed ‘underground’ and only in its infancy. Fast forward to today - thanks to social media, a handful of devoted importers, and more informed wine drinkers, they are finally gaining well deserved attention. If you weren’t aware of the phenomenon, a ‘grower’ is someone that owns and farms their vineyards in addition to making all their champagnes.

One of the stars that has risen is none other than Pierre Peters. Rodolphe Peters is a 4th generation winemaker in his family and took over the estate in 2008, presiding over some of the most coveted land in all of Champagne – Les Mesnil sur Oger. While driving through the Cote des Blancs, it’s difficult not to be mesmerized by all the beautifully tended vines, but what is so special about Mesnil is the soil structure.

Composed of mainly limestone and chalk, and we’re talking A LOT of chalk. In fact, the soil is so chalky that some of the producers use pieces of it to write and mark on their barrels! How this kind of soil affects the wine is almost a magical mineral lift that you can only get from these parcels. The balancing act of marrying fruit, acid and minerality in champagne is no trifling task and Rodolphe Peters is someone that has seemingly mastered this. Careful work in the vineyard and cellar ensures the purest expression of Chardonnay and all of his wines go through malolactic fermentation due to their naturally high acidities.