Champagne is one of the most gifted and misunderstood wines on any list in Kuala Lumpur. Between grower houses and grand Maisons, vintage and non-vintage, Brut and Extra Brut, there's more to choosing a bottle than picking whichever label looks most familiar. Here's how to navigate our range, built around three very different houses: Salon, Delamotte, and Tellier.
Grande Maison vs Grower Champagne
Most Champagne on the market comes from large houses that purchase grapes from hundreds of growers across the region and blend them into a consistent house style year after year. Grower Champagne (labelled RM, for Récoltant-Manipulant, on the back label) flips this model: the same family farms the vines and makes the wine, producing something closer to a single estate's expression of a specific place and vintage.
Champagne Tellier is our grower house, a family that grew grapes for larger houses for generations before beginning to vinify their own fruit in 2016. Champagne Salon and Champagne Delamotte sit at the other end of the spectrum: small, historic Maisons built around a single, tightly defined philosophy rather than mass production.
Salon and Delamotte: One Terroir, Two Approaches
Salon and Delamotte share the same cellars and the same Grand Cru Chardonnay vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, but express them completely differently. Salon makes a single wine, only in exceptional vintages, sometimes fewer than four times a decade; our 'S' de Salon Blanc de Blancs 2013 is the house's second label, offering a taste of the same Grand Cru fruit and precision in a more attainable bottling. Delamotte, by contrast, produces a full and more accessible range year-round: the entry Brut NV, the purist Blanc de Blancs NV and its vintage-dated 2018 sibling, and the Brut Rosé NV for those who want Delamotte's precision with a touch more fruit.
Champagne Tellier: A Grower's Range
Tellier's three cuvées each highlight a different facet of the family's vineyards around Moussy and Pierry. 'La Goutte d'Or' Pinot Noir Extra Brut 2018 shows the darker, structured side of the house; 'Les Massales' Extra Brut 2019 comes from historic multi-variety-planted vines; and 'Vignes de Pierry' Premier Cru Extra Brut 2020 carries Premier Cru classification from one of the family's oldest holdings.
Vintage vs Non-Vintage, Brut vs Extra Brut
Non-vintage (NV) Champagne is blended across multiple years to maintain a consistent house style, and is generally the most versatile, everyday choice. Vintage Champagne comes from a single, exceptional year and is made to be more expressive and age-worthy, at a higher price. On dosage, Brut is the most common style, while Extra Brut carries less added sugar, resulting in a drier, more precise wine that lets the underlying fruit and terroir show through more clearly, the house style favoured by Tellier across its whole range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between grower Champagne and a big house? Grower Champagne is made by the same family that farms the vines, while big houses blend fruit purchased from many growers. Grower Champagne tends to show more specific site and vintage character.
Is vintage Champagne always better than NV? Not necessarily, they're different rather than strictly better or worse. NV is built for consistency and everyday drinking; vintage Champagne captures the character of one specific, exceptional year.
Where can I buy Champagne in Kuala Lumpur? Browse our full Champagne collection at The Vintage Wine Club, spanning grower Tellier through to the prestige Salon and Delamotte houses. See also our guides on Champagne vs Crémant and our Best Champagne Under RM600 picks.
For orders, tastings, or personalised recommendations, contact The Vintage Wine Club Malaysia at admin@thevintageclub.my, WhatsApp +6012 2801623, or visit us at Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.