Champagne growers and houses rethink old partnerships

Climate change and shifting consumer preferences are prompting some Champagne producers to deepen ties with their grape growers. For estates such as Laurent-Perrier, closer collaboration is becoming increasingly important for maintaining quality and long-term stability.

The relationship between vast Champagne houses and their network of anonymous growers has always felt vaguely medieval.

From the outside, it seems like the growers bear much of the risk for growing grapes in a tentative, mercurial terroir, while the estates earn all of the glory and prestige and much of the profit

In reality of course, the relationship is a lot more complicated. It is also evolving as younger generations take over iconic houses such as Laurent-Perrier, and as the effects of climate change continue to be felt in ever-increasing measures. For some forward-thinking estates, reframing the power balance between houses and growers not only improves the quality of the Champagne in the glass, but also boosts the bottom lines of everyone involved.

For centuries, large Champagne houses have often had capital, cellars, export networks and branding power, but very little land. Small vineyard owners, meanwhile, often had a few to a few hundred hectares of grapes, but lacked the capital and space required to ferment, bottle, age for many years and then riddle, disgorge, market and export the finished product.

The system works better and more equitably than the black and white description, with all of its aristo peasant implications, implies. Champagne as a region is fragmented, with small vineyard holdings comprising a total of 34,300 hectares peppered around 132 square miles. The climate is challenging, with intense weather and pest pressures. The traditional arrangement has been advantageous for houses that want to source fruit from multiple terroirs with the goal of achieving consistent quality. For growers, the set-up has generally worked because they can rely on a steady income, with less financial risk and overhead pressures.

In recent decades though, there has been a shift toward more terroir-driven bottlings, with a focus on vintage variation over consistency, among both producers and consumers. For some growers, that has inspired them to open their own small-scale productions. For some estates, that has pushed them toward a closer and more symbiotic relationship with a handful of chosen producers. The benefits are clear for producers and growers, and for consumers, they can be tasted in the glass.

Laurent-Perrier’s spirit of innovation

Laurent-Perrier has always approached the business of making Champagne differently than most, argues Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt, a member of the house’s fourth generation of family owner operators.

“Our philosophy has always been deeply rooted in innovation,” de Nonancourt says. “From the beginning, my grandfather [Bernard de Nonancourt] made bold and unconventional decisions that helped shape the unique identity of Laurent-Perrier.”

Indeed, he introduced stainless steel tanks to the region for the first time in the early 1970s, and created the prestige cuvée Grand Siècle in 1959, designed to recreate a “perfect year” that could not actually exist in nature by precisely blending three almost “perfect” vintages.

“That spirit of audacity remains at the heart of who we are as a family today,” she says. “A constant pursuit of excellence guides everything we do, and the quality of our wines continues to shape our decisions as we look toward the future.”

Relationships built over generations

Foundational to that pursuit of excellence, of course, is finding the best raw materials. De Nonancourt and her family have naturally developed, over generations, incredibly deep ties with some of their growers, including fourth-generation grower Nicolas Rainon.

Rainon first worked with de Nonancourt’s grandfather, a fact that she is fond of reminding him of, and he is less eager to highlight. Their affection is palpable, and reflects the multi-generational symbiosis between families rooted in a region, which is much less common today, but deeply rewarding.

“Deep connections take time to develop, so naturally it is impossible to have the same bond with everyone,” de Nonancourt acknowledges. “However, many of our growers have worked with us for generations. In many ways at harvest when we see each other, it feels less like a professional relationship and more like reuniting with a longtime cousin.”

Rainon, who also co-owns Champagne Henriet-Bazin with his wife Marie-Noëlle Henriot-Rainon, owns 8.5 hectares of vineyards on the Montagne de Reims, spread across Verzenay, Verzy, a Grand Cru, and Villers-Marmery, a Premier Cru, where the estate is based, and only works with Laurent-Perrier.

A changing climate demands closer cooperation

Today, growers can be as selective as estates once were in whom they choose to work with. For Rainon, finding the right fit is a matter of profound significance.

“We have chosen to work exclusively with Laurent-Perrier because we trust their vision and their ability to faithfully express the character of our grapes,” Rainon says. “When you dedicate a year to a harvest shaped by nature, it is essential to entrust it to a house that understands and respects that identity.”

He also appreciates the spirit of partnership he finds at Laurent-Perrier, which he considers to be a notable difference between them and other large estates.
“They treat us as genuine partners, value our work, and give it visibility,” Rainon says.

De Nonancourt concurs, saying, “it is truly a partnership, which means that we move forward together with shared goals and mutual trust.”

The “increasingly unpredictable weather conditions” everyone is seeing, de Nonancourt says, makes close alignments essential for mutual success.

“Through constant dialogue and collaboration, we can adapt together, while ensuring both the long-term quality of our wines and the economic stability of everyone involved,” she says. “Growers are in the vineyards every single day, they know their terroir intimately, from the character of the soil to the specific needs of each vine, and they are able to adapt quickly to changing conditions. So we work hand in hand because it would be impossible for us to be everywhere at once while maintaining the level of precision and excellence we strive for.”

Plus, their multi-generational partnership means that Rainon understands, on an almost cellular level, what they want from his grapes.

“Nicolas knows that harvesting early is important to preserve the freshness of the wine, and we are completely aligned with that to serve our style,” de Nonancourt adds.

Adapting for the future

For his part, Rainon says that while he cannot assign a specific plot to Laurent-Perrier, given the vagaries of conditions each year, he always has certain regions in mind for them.

“We have learned that Laurent-Perrier particularly values the Chardonnay from Villers-Marmery for its freshness and refined minerality,” he says. “As a grower rooted in small villages, I rely on a deep knowledge of my terroirs, passed down from my father, and his father before him. Each year, we therefore carefully taste and select the juices that best match the house’s profile before allocating them.”

Increasingly, Rainon admits that their farming practices have to be adjusted to achieve the levels of freshness and minerality both Laurent-Perrier and his own family brand rely on.

Harvesting earlier is now standard practice across the world, and Rainon says they also spend more time in the vineyard, especially as harvest approaches.

“We began changing our approach more than 20 years ago, by adopting viticulture that respects nature, including grass cover, no pesticides or herbicides, and encouraging biodiversity,” Rainon says. “Over time, this helped the vines root deeper and express each parcel more precisely, revealing clearer differences from one plot to another.”

But it is clear that more is needed, and will continue to be in the future.

“Climate change brings greater instability, with early warm periods followed by damaging frosts,” he acknowledges. “Alongside earlier harvesting, I am exploring changes such as increasing vine height to delay budbreak and limit frost risk, which has already caused significant crop losses in recent years.”

A shared path forward

Working hand in hand through market and climate challenges provides the kind of mental, emotional and practical support that is increasingly tough to come by today. As the business environment tightens, drawing closer together may expand everyone’s horizons.

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