What is Grower Champagne? And which bottles should I invest in?
Grower Champagne refers to a category of Champagne made by independent producers who cultivate and harvest their grapes rather than buying them from multiple farmers. On the label, the initials RM (Recoltant Mannipulant ) can be used to identify a Grower Champagne.
The larger Maison Champagne houses purchase grapes from various cultivators for large-scale wine production.
Growing Champagnes are becoming more popular for their terroir-driven flavours and excellent investment potential.
Let’s look at why you should invest in Grower Champagne and 10 Grower Champagne bottles that you can buy in 2022. We will also discuss how Vinovest can help you invest in the best Grower Champagne wines.
Why Grower Champagne is a Good Investment
These are the top reasons why Grower Champagne can be a great way for you to diversify your wine collection:
- Market Growth
- Auction Performance and Price Appreciation
- Terroir Focus and High Quality
- Scarcity
- Brand Value
- Ethical Winemaking Methods
Market Growth
The wine investment market has been extremely favourable for growers of Champagne wines. They performed exceptionally well in a downturn of the Champagne 50 Livex index and even beat the big brands Maison Champagne labels in 2019.
The Champagne 50 wines produced modest annual returns of 2.3%, but Grower Champagnes made almost four times as much profit at 8%.
The Champagne region has seen a steady increase in annual returns over the past five years. These houses have produced returns of between 2.3% and 23.8%. Grower Champagne, a wine region, has seen an increase in returns from 8% to 16% each year.
Auction Performance and Price Appreciation
Here are some examples of the high annual returns of Grower Champagne.
Between 2020-2022
- The 2008 Louis Roederer Cristal Millesime Brut grew by more than 74%, from $242 to $421.
- A bottle 1997 Salon Cuvee “S” Le Mesnil Blanc De Blancs Brut was valued at over 89%, from $697 to $13,318.
These bottles also did exceptionally well at many auctions. Take this example:
- A bottle of the Jacques Selosse Substance Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut was purchased at a WineBid auction for $850 in March 2022.
- Two bottles of 1996 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut and one of 1997 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut were auctioned by Sotheby’s in May 2021. They sold for $1,050.
Terroir Focus and High-Quality
Celebrated wine importer Terry Theise called Grower Champagne “Burgundy at a higher octave” due to its enhanced terroir specificity.
Grand Marques labels such as Dom Perignon and Pol Roger are made with grapes from many sites with multiple terroir influences.
The Grower Champagne grapes ( Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) are sourced directly from the producer’s vine and produce wines with more specific terroir expressions.
Scarcity
Of the 19,000 independent winegrowers in the Champagne region, only 5,000 make wines (including Grand Cru and Premier Cru labels) using their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes.
Grower Champagne’s supply is therefore limited by the grape yields.
Because of the limited production, it’s difficult to keep up with the growing demand for Grower Champagne.
The Comite Champagne report, which shows an increase in imports to the USA, UK and Australia before the COVID-19 pandemic, also shows the spiralling demand for these nonvintage and vintage Champagne champagne cult wines.
Brand Value
The best Grower Champagnes are produced by a handful of winemakers in the Champagne region. Artisanal houses like Cédric Bouchard and Champagne Telmont come with huge brand loyalty, boosting the wines’ investment potential.
Fun Fact
Champagne Telmont producer boasts high-profile investors like actor Leonardo DiCaprio elevating it to star status.
Other popular Grower Champagne brands are:
- Jacques Seosse in Avize
- Le Mesnil in Cote des Blancs
- Louis Roederer in Reims
- Pierre Peters in Cote des Blancs
- Ulysse Collin in Congy
- Pierre Gimonnet in Cote des Blancs