Vouette et Sorbee Champagne Fidele NV

Bertrand Gautherot grew up tending his family's vines at Buxières-sur-Arce in the Aube, on Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone more closely related to Chablis than to the Marne. He sold grapes to Champagne houses until a friend, Anselme Selosse, convinced him to bottle his own wine; he started in 2001 and released his first wine in 2004. His 5.5 hectares are certified biodynamic (Demeter since 1998), and he also keeps chickens and cattle in a nearly self-sufficient ecosystem. Fidèle is the estate's main cuvée, a 100% Pinot Noir blanc de noirs, mainly from the lieux-dits Fonnet and Briaunes. It is fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak, with nothing chaptalised, acidified or fined, and aged for around 20 months or more on the lees. It is bottled Brut Nature with no dosage.

The result is a vinous, savoury Champagne with the volume turned down and the detail turned up. Golden in the glass, it shows baked apple, apricot and citrus peel with brioche, acacia blossom and a touch of nuts, and a savoury, herbal edge of autumn leaves and dried cherry. The palate is powerful yet dry, with richness, structure and real tension, and a long, savoury finish.