Champagne Jeeper owes its name to a vehicle. In 1949, Armand Goutorbe came back from the war and needed a way to get around the steep slopes of his vineyards; the American army left him a Jeep. He put the name on the label, and it stuck — one of the few champagne houses not named after a family.

The house was bought in 2009 by Nicolas Dubois, joined in 2013 by Michel Reybier, owner of Château Cos d’Estournel. It now farms around 50 hectares from Faverolles-et-Coëmy, near Reims, across the Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs and Vallée de la Marne, and has held HVE level 3 certification since 2016.

Two things set the style: a Chardonnay-led approach unusual for a house of this size, and a cellar of 1,200 oak barrels — an exceptionally large barrel programme by Champagne standards, which is where the texture comes from.

The Blanc de Blancs Grande Réserve is the house in its purest form: 100% Chardonnay, with a proportion matured in oak, and a generous share of reserve wines to give depth.

Lemon zest and white flowers over brioche and a note of hazelnut; creamy on the palate yet firmly fresh, carried by a fine bead, closing long on citrus. The barrel work shows as texture rather than as wood.