What Is A "Grower" Champagne?

We love Champagne here at The Market. So much so, that we make a point of dedicating a week to those wonderful bubbles during the middle of the year. This is that week - May 15 through May 19.
We have a fantastic Champagne selection that is dominated by "grower Champagnes". Grower Champagne houses make Champagne from grapes grown on their own estates. So why is that a big deal?
Because, all of the "big houses"such as Moet & Chandon, Mumm, Bollinger, Krug etc. buy their grapes from all over the entire Champagne region to make their wines. They then add the "dosage", which is a blend of reserve wine and sugar to get their "house" profile that tends to be consistent year after year. Consistency is good, but it can also be boring.
Grower Champagnes display the passion of the winemaker and the character of the particular region, soil, climate, elevation etc. This is known as the terroir. This makes for much richer and fascinating wines. Of course the growers stay in business because they sell their grapes to the big houses. But it's the stuff they make themselves that is the most exciting.
Here are some personal favorites - all at The Market:
2004 Chartogne-Taillet Brut
2005 Aubry Ivore Ebene Brut
NV Rene Geoffroy Brut
NV Gaston Chiquet Brut
NV Pierre Peters Brut
Cheers to Champagne week at The Saint Louis Wine Market!

Tom