Champagnes are for celebrating, this much we can all agree on. However, there are certain Champagnes that go beyond that. As you've probably already noticed by now, we love terroir-driven wines, and admittedly, this quality can be a bit more difficult to perceive in sparkling wines. We recently became acquainted with a Champagne producer that manages to capture both a sense of place and celebratory deliciousness.

The wines of Domaine Rousseaux-Batteux are brand new to the Portland market and it was love at first taste when we sampled our way through their lineup. This grower champagne is tiny with production limited to around 1,000 bottles or less depending on the cuvée. The estate is based out of the Pinor Noir friendly village of Verzenay, a Grand Cru site located in the Montagne de Reims.

So what exactly constitues a terroir-driven champagne? For us, it's excellent farming, low dosage, a declared vintage and minimal intervention in the cellar. While these are the boxes that need to be checked off, simply put, in the glass the juice is allowed to speak. In this case, these wines sparkle beyond their bubbles.

Though we were impressed by their entire lineup, we selected the 2 bottles that best captured terroir. While they share many similarities: same vintage, grapes (100% Pinot Noir), fermentation vessels, aging time in cellar and little to no dosage, the results were strikingly different.

2019 Domaine Rousseaux-Batteaux 'Le Mont' Louvois Grand Cru Extra Brut - 'Le Mont' is a tiny lieu-dit (just over half an acre) located within the Louvois Grand Cru in the southern end of the Montagne de Reims. The floral notes captivated us as they persisted through the finish without ever overshadowing the fruit. Only 957 bottles were produced.

2019 Domaine Rousseaux-Batteaux 'Les Chauffours' Verzenay Grand Cru Brut Nature - 'Les Chauffours' is also a tiny lieu-dit (just over half an acre) located within the Verzenay Grand Cru in the Montagne de Reims. We found this one to be a bit more fruit forward, with little to no floral notes, but a pronounced stony midpalate that transitioned towards a chalky finish. Just over 1,000 bottles were produced.