NV Domaine Gracieux Chevalier Crémant de Bourgogne Brut 750 ml

Just because you can’t find branded Champagne for $25 doesn’t mean you can’t get pretty darn close in terms of terroir, style, flavor, and quality. Enter Domaine Gracieux Chevalier Crémant de Bourgogne, the delicious sparkling wine that the Champenoise drink when no one’s looking. 

Made in the painstaking méthode traditionnelle, the wine’s elegant, consistent bead accentuates its toasty brioche aromas and complements its subtle peach and apple undertones. Hints of complex minerals and white flowers come to the fore on the finish, drawing you back in and coaxing a second sip. Luxurious and expansive on the palate with fresh acidity to balance its nutty yeast and quince character, this is the kind of bubbly you’d only expect from Champagne. 

Perhaps that’s because the grapes come from Chablis—Burgundy’s northernmost region and “kingdom of cool” according to Decanter—which is closer to the southern Aube district of Champagne (35 miles) than the nearest tip of the rest of Burgundy (80 miles). The proximity is not just on the map: The vineyards are more similar to Champagne than Burgundy in climate, soils, varietal character—everything but name. And as Decanter writes, “Chablis’ cool phosphorescence of flavour is a reflection of that location.”

The same fossil-flecked Kimmeridgian and Portlandian soils that define the quality of southern Champagne bottlings are just as abundant in the vineyards that gave rise to Domaine Gracieux Chevalier Crémant de Bourgogne—hence its impressive dose of minerality (which rarely accompanies a bargain Crémant). 

We discovered this wine over a steak tartare lunch at Au Flexi Troyen, a charming haunt in the cobblestoned village of Troyes, in southern Champagne. When our local négociant companion ordered it off the menu, we gave him some side eye—why drink Crémant when we’re in Champagne? 

His bemused reply: “Real Champenoise can’t afford Champagne! This is what we drink most days when the tourists aren’t looking.” Luckily, the Champenoise still have great taste, and this Gracieux Chevalier Crémant quenched our craving for vrai Champagne without breaking the bank. We immediately asked where we could get more and our friend pointed out the window towards the N77 south. “Just down the road.” 

It all came together when we learned that Domaine Gracieux Chevalier belongs to Maison Veuve Ambal, one of the most respected names in Crémant de Bourgogne. Founded by a Burgundian widow in 1898, the time méthode traditionelle was being introduced, her sparkling wines immediately gained a level of recognition that has continued across six generations through today.   

This non-vintage bottling is a blend of 20-25% reserve wines. It’s aged on racks for 20-35 months in order to impart aromatic intensity, which comes through in the biscuit-y complexity and nuance we don’t typically expect from more southerly-situated Crémants. 

This wine is as charming and affordable as it is delicious. In terms of Champagne alternatives, it doesn’t get much better than this for the money. Luckily, you don’t have to wait until no one’s looking to enjoy Domaine Gracieux Chevalier Crémant de Bourgogne for yourself.