Destination guide

Côte des Blancs

The Côte des Blancs is a road trip through Chardonnay country rather than a single attraction. Book famous houses and full tours in advance, but smaller, lesser-known growers will often welcome you for a spontaneous tasting. Some tastings are free; increasingly, a modest fee applies.

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Best for

Chardonnay lovers travelling by car or with a driver

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A realistic day

How to plan your time

Make no more than two fixed appointments and leave a generous gap for lunch. If a small estate displays a tasting or cellar-door sign, it is perfectly reasonable to walk in and ask.

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger

A celebrated Chardonnay village where famous names and small growers sit side by side.

A spontaneous tasting

Walk in when a small grower clearly welcomes visitors. Call ahead for a cellar tour, a particular language or a busy weekend.

Cramant or Avize

Pause above the village for views across the Côte.

A personal lunch tip

Foie gras at Nelly Vatel

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01 · Gionges · duck and foie gras

Auberge de Saint-Fergeux – Nelly Vatel

If you enjoy foie gras, this is a lovely rural lunch stop between the Chardonnay villages. The inn works with duck from its own farm; reserve ahead and do not rush the meal.

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Champagne houses

5 visits in and around Côte des Blancs

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Sfeerbeeld van champagneglazen en een fles met uitzicht over de wijngaarden

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger · Côte des Blancs

Champagne Michel Turgy

Michel Turgy is a small producer in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of the best-known Chardonnay villages in the Côte des Blancs. The welcome is more personal than at the large houses.

Grower ChampagneVaries by appointmentFrench · English

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Chouilly · Côte des Blancs

Nicolas Feuillatte

Nicolas Feuillatte shows modern Champagne production on a large scale. You see the winery, riddling, disgorging and labelling areas.

From grape to bottle1–3 hr, depending on the tourFrench · English

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Avize · Côte des Blancs

Champagne Waris-Larmandier

A personal favourite in Avize, with views over the slopes of Avize and Cramant. The welcome is warm and small-scale, just as you hope for at a family estate in the Côte des Blancs.

Grower ChampagneVaries by visitFrench · English

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Cramant · Côte des Blancs

Champagne Diebolt-Vallois

One of our personal wine favourites in Cramant, particularly known for precise Blanc de Blancs and Fleur de Passion. Come for the wine and terroir, not for a scripted tourist tour.

Grower ChampagneVaries by appointmentFrench

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Avize · Côte des Blancs

Champagne Lancelot Fils

A small family estate in Avize with wines from eight different terroirs and a natural approach to vinification. The welcome is personal and focused on the wine.

Grower ChampagneVaries by appointmentFrench · English

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