CHAMPAGNE - HERVE MATHELIN

White flowers and a touch of honey on the nose, leads to a beautiful attack. Full mouth,that remains fruity. Some biscuity notes are present with others of freshly baked bread. 

The domaine “Herve Mathelin” is a family owned/run vineyard which has been passed down from generation to generation, and it is currently owned and worked by Herve and his wife Janick. Their champagnes are of exceptional quality thanks to their incredible terroir and the skilful winemaking of Herve and his father. Though much less expensive than many of the more popular branded champagnes, they are in a lot of cases far superior. Herve is right at the forefront of the "growers" who wish to express their specific terroirs in fine quality champagne compared to the merchants whose art revolves around blending and camouflaging often thin acidic grape juice. The wines reflect his personality and terroir and are a must for all champagne drinkers. 

The term "Grower Champagne" has been popping up in publications more amd more in the last couple of years. Everyone seems to sing the praise of these wines without defining what they actually are. Here it goes: Grower Champagnes come from independent wineries in the Champagne region of France, made from grapes which are grown at a single estate and not purchased from another producer or vineyard. 

The uniqueness of these wines is that they come from a particular plot of land, making them the ultimate expression of terroir. The Moet Chandons and Mumms of the wine world are known for having a "house style". These big-brand name producers only grow a small fraction of their own grapes to produce a million-plus cases of wine. The rest of their grapes are purchased from vineyards that focus on quantity, perhaps sacrificing quality? Yes, these producers get consistency from year to year, with each release of their champagne. 

So why do we continue to buy these mass produced, commodity brand Champagnes to celebrate special occasions? The answer is simple – marketing. Large champagne houses have deep pockets, and do a tremendous job of distribution, exposing us to their product, making it second nature for us to reach for the Veuve-Clicquot. 

Growers' Champagne on the other hand, is made almost exclusively from grapes grown on small, family owned parcels. The location, sun exposure, soil type; the all around sense of place, is a complete reflection of the end product. Because of this, each vineyard, village, and area is going to have its own style. These small production wineries also limit the amount of dosage (sugar added to induce secondary fermentation – the stuff that gives you bubbles!) so that their wines are as pure a reflection of their fruit as possible. 

Now, how can I tell Grower Champagne from a Big House Champagne? On the front label of virtually every Champagne label, there is an abbreviation code with the letters RM, which stands for Recolant-Manipulant, this signifies a grower champagne. 

So why not treat yourself to some high quality, small production bubbly. Support the Growers! You can taste the hard work, dedication, and quality in every mouth-watering sip.