A duet of Grower Champagne from Floraison Selections

Two bottles of small production, organically and biodynamically farmed grower Champagne that are sourced from Berkeley based importer & distributor, Floraison Selections. These two bottles are from two of Champagne's top grower domaines - Marie Courtin in the Cote des Bars and Flavien Nowack in the Marne Valley.

Unlike conventional Champagne, Grower Champagne is produced by farmers who grow their own grapes and craft their own wine, rather than buying grapes from others. The focus is on farming the highest quality fruit possible by farming organically and biodynamically and by using the least intervention possible in the cella. This results in refined and nuanced expressions of the grape variety and site. Dominique Moreau of Champagne Marie Courtin and Flavien Nowack of Champagne Flavien Nowack, are highly regarded as two of the best growers in Champagne today.

bottle 1: Champagne Marie Courtin Blanc de Noir Extra Brut (2020) - SRP $230

This bottling is 100% estate Pinot Noir, aged in amphora and bottled without any sulfur.
Dominique Moreau has been making single varietal, single vineyard, single vintage no dosage Champagnes from her 2.5 hectares of certified organic and biodynamic estate since 2005. The vines were planted in the 1970's from massale selection. Located in Champagne's southernmost region, the Cote de Bars is closer to Chablis than to Reims and has the same Kimmeridgian limestone as Chablis. The region's warmer temperatures and Kimmeridgian soils excel at making Pinot Noir that is rich and textured while maintaining acidity and freshness. Dominique named her estate after her grandmother who she recalls as a strong woman of the earth.

bottle 2: Champagne Flavien Nowack "Autre Cru" Blanc de Noir (2021) - SRP $95

This is 100% Pinot Meunier from various sites around the village of Vandieres, aged in neutral barrel. Flavien Nowack began refocusing his family's estate on single vintage, single parcel bottlings in 2011. Passionate that nothing should come between the purest expression of terroir, he farms organically and relies on the natural yeast of unfermented grape must as his prise de mousse for the secondary fermentation in bottle. As a result, these Champagnes are lower in pressure than is typical and underscores the vinous quality of these exceptionally soft and delicate wines. The house philosophy is based on understanding and respecting the complex ecosystem of each vineyard plot.

retail value: $325