France’s Champagne region might be an unlikely setting for an underdog story. But it’s host to one very notable comeback in the past few years: its resurgence in production of still wines, also known as Coteaux Champenois. 

Though legally excluded from the official Champagne designation, Coteaux Champenois represent a tradition of still wines in the region that dates back to Roman times, a tradition that was sidelined for centuries once sparkling wines began to define Champagne in the mid-1800s. Quite the fall from grace, given that the still wines were once the literal wines of kings, served during French coronations historically held at the Reims Cathedral. But as the process for making effervescent wine was further refined in post-revolutionary France, producers saw opportunity in what was then a product and threw their weight behind the bubbles. The still wines never fully disappeared, however, and Coteaux Champenois won its present designation in the 1970s. Today, those still wines are taking on a renewed relevance amidst rising global temperatures: Champagne’s grapes are more consistently reaching levels of ripeness needed to make serious still wines, as opposed only producing ultra-sharp base wines for future sparkling.

Still, to put it mildly, still wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier remain a small portion of the total amount of wine made in Champagne. In 2021, they were estimated to account for just 0.3 percent of the region’s output. But production has doubled between 2021 and 2023, and some of that production now involves powerhouse estates Roederer and Bollinger. The bigger point, though, is this: Champagne’s still wines are back—and they're good. Really good, and far more than a mere novelty.

Coteaux Champenois Rouge, in particular Pinot Noir, presents the most interesting case. There is, of course, a counterintuitive intrigue in red wines made in a region typically associated with pale, clear sparkling wines. But consider the trends affecting prestige Pinot Noir outside of Champagne, with hot vintage after hot vintage making for denser, boozier wines. In a world where Burgundy can reach 16 percent ABV, it’s almost quaint to think of Champagne’s Pinots struggling to make it to 12.5. Yet such is the reality—still—of France’s northernmost wine region. 

When tasting red Coteaux Champenois, I often notice that the nose has a lot in common with aged Burgundy. I can’t say if this is due to some witchcraft of the Champagne terroir, which somehow spins the illusion of an older wine. Or if—more likely—Champagne is akin to what Burgundy was like, in terms of climate, 30 years ago. But Coteaux Champenois’ sophisticated, brooding aromas are followed by a young and vibrant palate. The acidity is noteworthy, yet the wines aren’t flimsy—the best, like Bérêche’s Les Montées, are surprisingly concentrated. 

The wines are exciting enough to make one wonder: could Champagne be the next big destination for French Pinot Noir? The region and the producers already have plenty of cachet. The wines, while still evolving, have yet to reach peak ripeness, but—to be a bit crude about it—a warming climate will work in the region’s favor. For instance, many of the Coteaux Champenois Rouge on the market right now are from 2018—the vintage that prompted producers in Burgundy to fear that rising temperatures might threaten their ability to make quality wines. Meanwhile, Champagne mega-estates Taittinger and Pommery are looking further north, and purchased land in England in the mid-2010s for future sparkling wine production: climate change is already driving a game of winemaking musical chairs.

Just don’t leap to conclude that still red wines from Champagne can simply become a stand-in for red Burgundy.  For one thing, almost all of Coteaux Champenois’ winemakers are still trained Champagne, and they’re largely not being trained to make still wine that will ultimately sell as, well, still wine. That said, there are some Burgundian credentials of note in the region: Anselme Selosse, who most famously applied his experience in Burgundy to his distinctive Champagnes, and newer player Simon Normand of Domaine La Borderie, who trained at Bouchard in Burgundy and is actively making Coteaux Champenois today. 

What’s ironic is that one of the most Burgundian aspects of Coteaux Champenois is how Champagne-centric it is, in that the wines highlight Champagne as a place and the diversity of sites within. Whereas the sparkling wines are historically more specific to the producers and their vinification and blending styles, the still wines speak more emphatically of where the grapes are grown. The Montagne de Reims subregion takes on particular significance for the reds. It’s home to some of Champagne’s best Pinot Noir grapes, and the still wines flesh out the nuances of the individual Grand Cru villages, such as south-facing Bouzy, which is generally known for the richest still wines, and Ambonnay, where the character is more elegant and fresh. Way at the bottom of the Champagne map lies the Aube/Côte des Bar, which is geographically closer to Burgundy, and boasts Kimmeridgian soil as opposed to Champagne’s signature limestone-chalk. The difference results in bolder expressions of Pinot Noir—and some of the most promising in all of Champagne, whether produced by the esteemed Drappier estate or the aforementioned Simon Normand.

As Coteaux Champenois are still—for now— a work in progress, they also have the benefit of not being boxed into any particular traditional style. “There’s something to be said for Champagne’s experimental winemaking history,” says Bryan Garcia, founder of NYC-based importer Corkhoarder. “It makes sense to me that they would gravitate toward very small experiments in still wine.” Garcia counts a number of Coteaux Champenois in his portfolio, most notably from Pierre Deville and Elise Bougy (whose sparkling Champagnes are adored by NWR). In the U.S., the wines are most at home in geekier wine-focused restaurants such as Manhattan’s Chambers and Brooklyn’s Four Horsemen; the latter offers ten Coteaux Champenois on its current wine list.

The variability of Coteaux Champenois extends to the prices, which range from about $40 to $1,400 for the likes of Bollinger’s renowned La Côte aux Enfants, which is produced in the village of Aÿ. The bigger houses seem like they’re still finding their feet: Louis Roederer may have the production of Cristal down to a bewildering science, but it humanizes the estate to read how chef de cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon freely admits to tinkering with their Hommage à Camille Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. We have yet to see definitive mastery of still wines to emerge in Champagne, but what’s already out there certainly compels us to watch what the evolution of Coteaux Champenois will bring.

Three Coteaux Champenois Pinot Noirs to Know

NV François Secondé Silléry Coteaux Champenois Rouge ($50)

Non-vintage still wines are permitted under the Coteaux Champenois designation, and this blend of old-vine Pinot Noir vintages hails from the Grand Cru Montagne de Reims village of Silléry. One of the less-expensive Coteaux Champenois available in the U.S., this wine captures a side of Champagne that is less uptight and a lot more fun: fresh, even a bit vegetal, but grounded in a more concentrated texture, with brambly fruit on the mid-palate and a hint of tar on the finish. A wine with plenty of personality, and pleasingly difficult to pin down.

2019 Olivier Horiot En Val Bazot Coteaux Champenois Riceys Rouge ($80)

Not an easy bottle to find, but definitely one to keep an eye out for. Olivier and Marie Horiot are among the standout producers in the village of Riceys in Champagne’s Côte des Bar, and their still red gives good reason to keep Champagne’s most far-flung subregion top of mind. Beautifully complete, with notes of rose petals and wild raspberries enlivening a softer, foresty base. Balanced and wonderful.

2019 Pierre Paillard Les Mignottes Bouzy Rouge ($110)

Noted grower-Champagne producer Pierre Paillard makes a red Coteaux Champenois that embodies the signature assertiveness of Bouzy Pinot Noir, which is extra specific to the Les Mignottes vineyard, the soils of which contain an unusual amount of clay for the region. The result is a stately Pinot Noir with greater depth and richer fruit flavors that veers toward—dare we say it—Burgundy. Decant, or at least open an hour before drinking.