Criticisms
A common criticism of Grower Champagnes is the potential for variable quality, especially from vintage to vintage. While the larger Champagne houses and negociants have the flexibility to buy grapes from all over the Champagne region, Grower Champagne makers are limited to only their vineyard holdings. Conversely, advocates of Grower Champagnes say that the blending of many terroirs by the larger houses makes those wines "underflavored" and non-distinctive.
However, some major Champagne houses also produce terroir Champagnes, typically from Grand Cru villages, and in general price these wines higher than non-terroir products in their range. One example is Krug with its two Clos wines Clos de Mesnil and Clos de Ambonnay. Another is Bollinger with its Vieilles Vignes Françaises bottlings made from 2 sites of ungrafted, layered, vines.
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