I’ve been stuck on Selosse, Bouchard, Prevost, Bereche for some years but they are getting expensive and I know champagne is one of the more dynamic wine scenes. Any new good stuff made with passion you want to share are welcome here.
Martin Boss
I am not familiar with Selosse, but the other three all share Thomas Calder as their broker. Moutard is part of his portfolio. I am not sure if you could say they are still under-the-radar. The pricing and quality are at the same level as Bereche. To be honest, I thought Bereche was still not well known. Moutard’s “Cuvee des 6 Cepages” contains equal parts of all six permitted varietals. Besides the usual Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier there is Arbane, Petit Meslieres and Pinot Blanc. The dosage is a tad bit high for me, but it’s a wonderful Champagne to have on hand to enjoy with guess that need something a little bit sweet. My favorite is the Rose. For a bump up in price, the Vintage Champagne is terrific with an outstanding price to quality ratio.
I unsuccessfully looked for a Thomas Calder Selections website. If you can find his portfolio somewhere, I am certain the next grower Champagne to know, before the reviews and then the eventual price increase will be on it!
Check out the website for C.Comme in Epernay and find out whether any are available near you.
Roger Pouillon et Fils in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ is excellent and good value as well. Also, try Paul Bara!
There are simply too many, but finding them is another issue.
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I am here: Google Maps
As usual on forums… we’ll let you know when allocations have been secured 
I just bought from Chambers Street some solid growers from Agrapart, Lahaye, Larmandier, and Turgy.
I plan to pop a H. Billiot et Fils NV tomorrow night to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. For above-the-radar wines, I find that and the Bollinger Special Cuvee to be consistently good sparklers that are affordable and easy to find. Just had to add that because I’ve had such good luck with them wherever selection is limited.
Under the radar – well I guess it depends if it’s your personal radar or the markets radar.
Here is some of my favourite producers…you might know them…or all or them…??
As ken is pointing out Moutard’s “Cuvee des 6 Cepages” with the “odd” grape mixture…I tasted it in August. Didn’t care much for it – not bad, but just not that interesting. Laherte makes a better version called “Les 7” (Former Les Clos) and it contains a grape more; fromenteau. All grapes are harvested at the same time to show the terroir of that parcel. Laherte is in general a producer on the rise under the leadership of young and talented Aurélien Laherte.
If you like Cédric Bouchard…which I can understand…he is perhaps one of my favourite producers of all, well then you may like to explore the area of Aube a bit more.
Look for Voette et Sorbeée. I found their first vintages marked a bit by the oak – but Bertrand Gautherot is constantly bringing forward more and more balanced wines. My favourite is Bland d’Argile (100% Chardonnay).
In Aube you will also find Marie-Courtin and Demarne-Frison – both makes brilliant wines.
I really like George Laval. Very bio driven wines with a personality like no other. His 100% (Chardonnay) Les Chênes is a masterpiece in 2002, 2004 and I hear also in 2006, which I will taste very soon…but expensive stuff ![[head-bang.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/b1cd199e4b2b2988b5107c3c9598fd28dc92a776.gif "[head-bang.gif]"){kind=small}
Former student of Selosse; Jerôme Prévost…a star….I guess you know him and also another Student Alexandre Chartogne – his 3 new single vineyards Orizeaux (100% Pinot Noir), “Le Heurtebises” (100& Chardonnay), “Les Barres” (100% Pinot Meunier and ungrafted vines) are all stunning.
I also think 2 X Benoît are worth looking out for…the first; Benoît Tarlant. He already released “Le Vigne d’Antan (100% Chardonnay - ungrafted vines) are spectacular…the 2002 vintage is next…tasted it two times from barrel…looking to me magical. The power house Champagne; Le Vigne d’or (100% Pinot Meunier) is also great and he has 2 new projects in the pipeline; BAM (Pinot Blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier and “Mocque Tonneau” (100% Pinot Noir) – both very interesting and will put Tarlant even more in the spotlight as a great grower.
Benoît Lahaye is another super producer. His Champages are very fair priced and I was really impressed with his new cuvée called “Violaine” (50% Chardonnay / 50% Pinot Noir) made entirely without sulphur. His 2006 Vintage is also great and should hit the market right now.
….and so on….but there are many more; Agrapart, Léclpart, Olivier Horiot, Lassaigne….
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Two words - Marc Chauvet. The 2002 Special Club is one of my favorite wines on the planet right now. Full disclosure - I am their national importer. Yummy stuff indeed. Cheers!
I would add Franck Bonville to the others mentioned in previous posts.
Mont
Agree with both the Billiot and the Bollinger Special Cuvee. Both hit the “center of the plate” in terms of my palate, though I’m not sure either remains “under the radar”.
Marie ledru noelle
Some brilliant advice here… thanks all for taking the time!
Some of my recent likes
Andre Beaufort
Laherte ‘Clos’
Vouette et Sorbee
Rene Geoffrey ‘Volupte’
Prevost
Agrapart is an old favorite as are Vilmart and Pierre Peters. Selosse used to be before prices skyrocketed. I’ve been hot or miss with Cedric Bouchard - loved some, liked others mildly.
Martin, what is your cap for expensive? For the quality to price ratio, Bereche is relatively inexpensive. I think their “Brut Reserve NV” sells for around $40 [us] a bottle - even less given the rapport you have at where you shop.
How to answer this really depends on what “under-the-radar” means. There is a good batch of great producers who aren’t necessarily mainstream yet, but still pretty well known by wine geeks - Bereche, Laherte, Prevost, Vouette et Sorbee, Marie-Noelle Ledru, etc…
It is pretty hard to make good wine and truly be an unknown in Champagne, but a few that I think don’t see nearly enough credit and seem to be lesser known even by us geeks are:
- Daniel Savart in Ecueil
- Nicolas Maillart in Ecueil
- Penet-Chardonnet in Verzy
- Jeaunaux-Robin in Talus-Saint-Prix
- Collard-Picard in Villers-sous-Chatillon
- Emmanuel Brochet in Villers-aux-Noeuds
Of more well known producers who seem to lack more publicity (that they truly deserve): Gatinois in Ay, Paul Dethune in Ambonnay, Andre Clouet in Bouzy, Jean Lallement in Verzenay, and Roger Pouillon in Mareuil-sur-Ay are all stellar.
Of producers who are pretty well known, but never seem to get the respect they deserve: A. Margaine in Villers-Marmery, Godme in Verzenay, Guy Charlemagne in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Camille Saves in Bouzy.
Nathalie Falmet’s Brut Nature is super good, and worth hunting down. Pure pinot noir. It’s in the Weygandt-Metzler portfolio.
Saint Chamant is killer, too, if pricy perhaps; a Martine’s Wines selection.
A Norwegian importer sold Olivier Collin almost by mistake. I believe they initially thought it was Ulysse Collin because they are both from the Sezanne and the winemaker at Ulysse is Olivier Collin. Confusing for sure… but Olivier Collin makes pretty damn good wine too.
Marie Noelle Ledru has already been mentioned. Grab it while you can because production is going down and there are rumours she might retire soon with no heir. May be quite the novel rarity a few years down the line, and in my opinion makes as good pinot noir as Cedric Bouchard.
I agree that Guy Charlemagne makes great wine, but extreme patience is required, they are very slow to mature. As clasically Mesnil as it gets.
Paul Dethune makes good wine in a powerful but “nervy” style that’s ridiculously cheap.
David Leclapart is pretty hip although I don’t get the hype myself. Interesting and unique are good descriptions for his wines though. Same goes for Jean Milan.
If you like Selosse, you’ll like De Sousa. Prices have gone through the roof though.
Among the bigger producers, I think Charles Heidsieck continues to be among the very best in champagne but somehow can’t seem to sell their wines even though they’ve been getting rave reviews for 15 years.
A lot of great producers mentioned,
both on and under radar.
Worth adding (I don’t think I saw them):
Marie Courtin
Henri Giraud
Cheers
Rip
very funny and so true! my local shop was one of, if not the first [non gray] in the us to carry cedric bouchard [12/06]. he only had the ‘ursules’, but at about 1/2 the current price. the quality was so high that it was just a matter of time… i think within a year or two polaner picked it up.