“A good, cheap champagne” is the most honest search query in the world, and Google responds with supermarket shelves. It’s a shame, because the answer lies elsewhere: from the Champagne winegrowers themselves, who sell Blancs de Blancs from Cramant, Grands Crus from Bouzy or Verzenay, and Meuniers from the Marne Valley for between €22 and €40 — wines that a major house would sell for double the price under its own label. Here are twenty cuvées selected from our cellar, listed by price, along with a description of what they’re like in the glass.
Why the winegrower is the right answer
The price of a bottle from a major house is made up of the wine itself, marketing, distribution and brand recognition. With a ‘récoltant-manipulant’ — identified by the initials ‘RM’ on the label — it’s just the wine: the winemaker cultivates their vines, makes the wine, ages it and sells it themselves. For €30, they often offer you a grand cru, with a lower dosage and longer ageing than the appellation requires. Our article ‘Grand Maison or Winemaker’s Champagne’ details the difference, and explains how reading a label can help you spot an RM. As for the supermarket: a €15 champagne complies with the appellation, but it is blended by volume, has a high dosage and is aged for the legal minimum. For just five euros more, you’re in a different world.
Under €30: the cellar’s hidden gems
Le Courtois Brut (€22) is our best value pick: apple, pear, white flowers, and a brioche-like note from extended ageing in the Marne Valley. The Gonet Sulcova Blanc de Blancs (€23.35) offers a pure Chardonnay — white flowers, citrus, green apple — at a price rarely seen for a Blanc de Blancs. The Walraet Blanc de Blancs (€27.76) comes from Cramant, a grand cru in the Côte des Blancs: lemon, bergamot, damp chalk — the cru that Mumm and Perrier-Jouët are clamouring for, at under €28. The René Rutat Blanc de Blancs (€28.50), from Vertus, offers notes of acacia and a creamy mousse. And in Bouzy, another grand cru, the Delavenne Dom Basle (€29.80), a brut réserve single-cru: pear, peach, white flowers, a hint of brioche.
From €30 to €35: characterful grands crus and meuniers
Also from Delavenne in Bouzy: the Rose Marne (€30.43), a ruby-coloured grand cru rosé — wild strawberries, blackberries, rose petals — and Lumière (€31.99), a blanc de blancs from a Pinot Noir village, bursting with fresh fruit and white flowers. In the Marne Valley, two Meunier-focused winemakers: Éric Taillet with Egali’T (€30.50), white peach, candied lemon, light brioche; and Néret-Vély with Ôde à la Vie (€32.05), 87 per cent Meunier, crisp and fruity, with a label designed by an artist. The Courtois Ex Atris Uvis (€32.76) is a ‘blanc de noirs’ made from 100 per cent Pinot Noir: green almond, peach, with a hint of pineapple. And for those looking for a well-known label, the Canard-Duchêne Brut Léonie Iconic (€31) is the most accessible grand maison in our cellar, with its perpetual reserve — see our Canard-Duchêne guide.
From €35 to €40: the calibre of the great houses, at winemakers’ prices
The Lemaire Brut Réserve (€35), an extra-brut from the Saint-Thierry massif, with notes of mirabelle plum, plum and spices, is available in sufficient quantities for a party. The Néret-Vély Terra Mia (€35.32) is an extra-brut blanc de blancs dosed at 3 g/l, with candied citrus and a lively edge.The Ayala Brut Majeur (€35.80), 55 per cent Chardonnay, is the ‘grand maison’ of freshness — our Ayala guide.The Arnaud Moreau ArraKis (€36.19) is a non-dosage grand cru, with notes of mirabelle plums and lemon zest on a chalky base. Delamotte Brut (€37.50), Salon’s sister house in Mesnil-sur-Oger, offers 60 per cent Chardonnay and an ethereal purity. In Verzenay, a grand cru on the northern slope, Péhu Simonet produces Face Nord (€38), with notes of grapefruit, green apple and chalk, and Face Nord Rosé (€39), with notes of raspberry and rose. The Drappier Brut Nature (€38.90), with no added sugar, is the purest in the selection;the Eleonore Gageure 22 (€38.70), oaky and mature — truffle, fresh butter, bergamot — is the most original; the Geoffroy Expression 1er Cru (€39.55), with notes of Golden Delicious apple and pear, is the most classic; andthe Éric Taillet L’Authentique (€39.90), with notes of yuzu and white flowers, is the most taut. At exactly €40, the Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial remains a safe bet for guests who want a brand they recognise — see our Moët & Chandon guide.
The selection at a glance
| Cuvée | Style | Price incl. VAT |
|---|
| Courtois Brut | Brut, Marne Valley | €22 |
| Gonet Sulcova Blanc de Blancs | Blanc de Blancs | €23.35 |
| Walraet Blanc de Blancs | Blanc de Blancs, Cramant Grand Cru | €27.76 |
| René Rutat Blanc de Blancs | Blanc de Blancs, Vertus | €28.50 |
| Delavenne Dom Basle | Brut Réserve, Bouzy Grand Cru | €29.80 |
| Delavenne Rosé Marne | Rosé, Bouzy Grand Cru | €30.43 |
| Éric Taillet Egali'T | Meunier, Marne Valley | €30.50 |
| Canard-Duchêne Brut Léonie Iconic | Premium house brut | €31 |
| Delavenne Lumière | Blanc de Blancs, Bouzy | €31.99 |
| Néret-Vély Ode to Life | Meunier | €32.05 |
| Courtois Ex Atris Uvis | Blanc de noirs | €32.76 |
| Lemaire Brut Réserve | Extra-brut, Saint-Thierry | €35 |
| Néret-Vély Terra Mia | Blanc de blancs extra-brut | €35.32 |
| Ayala Brut Majeur | Brut from a prestigious house | €35.80 |
| Arnaud Moreau ArraKis | Grand cru, non-dosage | €36.19 |
| Delamotte Brut | Brut, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger | €37.50 |
| Péhu Simonet Face Nord / Face Nord Rosé | Verzenay Grand Cru | €38 / €39 |
| Drappier Brut Nature / Eleonore Gageure 22 | Brut nature / oaked brut | €38.90 / €38.70 |
| Geoffroy Expression 1er Cru / Éric Taillet L’Authentique | Premier Cru / crisp brut | €39.55 / €39.90 |
| Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial | Grand Maison brut | €40 |
Prices recorded in our cellar in September 2026. To understand what ‘grand cru’ or ‘premier cru’ mean on a label, see our article on the classification of Champagne crus; to find out what a bottle of Champagne should cost, see Buying Champagne at the Right Price.
The right calculation for a party
One bottle serves six flutes; for twenty guests at an aperitif, five bottles will suffice. Six bottles of Delavenne Dom Basle cost €179; ten bottles of Courtois Brut, €220; ten bottles of Léonie cost €310 — and delivery is free on orders of €300 or more in mainland France, with a €40 discount on orders of €500 or more and €100 off orders of €1,000 or more. Our monthly offers regularly feature a winemaker’s cuvée on special offer. Everything is delivered in a reinforced cardboard box, ready to be chilled.
To find out more
Our cellar features 157 cuvées from winemakers who handle their own harvest and 61 organic champagnes: the selection above is just the tip of the iceberg. Browse our blancs de blancs, our rosés, our list of the best small producers, and—to help you choose according to the occasion—the champagne buying guide. All our champagnes are sorted by price—from €22 to €1,500, there’s a gem at every price point.
