Is Grand Cru champagne really better?
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The short answer: not necessarily. Here's why.
Walk into any wine shop and you'll spot the words "Grand Cru" or "Premier Cru" on a champagne label. They sound prestigious. They often come with a higher price tag. But do they actually mean the champagne inside is superior?
Not quite — and the story behind those terms is more interesting than you'd think.
What Does "Cru" Actually Mean?
In French, cru simply means "growth" — referring to where the grapes were grown. In Champagne, it's a geographic label, not a quality guarantee.
The classification dates back to the early 20th century, when grapes were priced according to the village they came from. Champagne is a large region — stretching across rolling hills between Reims and Épernay — and back then, transportation was slow. Grapes from certain villages arrived at the press house in better condition than others, simply because they traveled less. Those villages were ranked higher, and their growers were paid more.
That ranking system became known as the échelle des crus — the "scale of growths." At the top sat 17 villages classified as Grand Cru (rated at 100%), followed by 42 Premier Cru villages (rated between 90 and 99%). Everyone else fell under the broader Champagne appellation.
The System That No Longer Exists
Here's what most people don't know: the échelle des crus was officially abolished.
Prices are no longer set by village. Growers and houses negotiate freely. The market decides.
Yet the terms "Grand Cru" and "Premier Cru" remain — not as official quality indicators, but as local usage, a kind of geographic shorthand that stuck around long after the system behind it disappeared.
In other words: a bottle labeled Grand Cru tells you the grapes came from one of those 17 historically recognized villages. It tells you nothing about how the wine was made, how long it aged, or whether the person behind it cares deeply about their craft.
So What Actually Makes a Great Champagne?
This is where it gets interesting — and where grower champagnes come in.
A grower champagne (also called récoltant manipulant, often marked "RM" on the label) is made by the same family that grows the grapes. From vine to bottle, every decision stays in-house. That means:
- Control over the harvest — picking at the right moment, not the most convenient one
- Longer aging on lees — the spent yeast cells that give champagne its depth and complexity
- A sense of place — what wine people call terroir, the specific character of a plot of land
At Champagne Philippe Dechelle, our vines sit in the Vallée de la Marne — a valley historically known for Pinot Meunier, a grape that brings suppleness, red fruit, and a certain generosity to the blend. We've been here since 1902. Every cuvée ages a minimum of three years on lees — well beyond what the appellation requires — because that's what the wine needs, not what the calendar demands.
No Grand Cru on our label. And no shortcuts either.
The Real Question to Ask
Instead of looking for "Grand Cru" on the label, try asking:
Who made this, and how?
- Is it a grower or a large house buying grapes from dozens of sources?
- How long did it age before disgorgement?
- What grape varieties were used, and where were they grown?
- Does the producer have a point of view — or just a marketing budget?
These questions will tell you far more than a village classification ever could.
A Word on Price
Grand Cru champagnes are often priced higher — partly because of tradition, partly because of perception. But some of the most compelling champagnes being made today come from small, independent growers working outside those 17 villages, in terroirs that the old system simply never had the chance to recognize.
Value in champagne isn't about the classification. It's about what's in the glass.
The Takeaway
Grand Cru and Premier Cru are geographic references rooted in a classification system that no longer officially exists. They can indicate interesting terroir — but they are not a guarantee of quality, craftsmanship, or character.
The best champagne is the one made with intention, aged with patience, and grown by someone who has something to say.
Explore our range — and taste the difference that time and place can make.