2019 Champagne Clandestin, Austral, Brut Nature
About this WINE
Champagne Clandestin
Champagne Clandestin is a joint project from Bertrand Gautherot, of Vouette et Sorbée fame, and Benoît Doussot – a Burgundian winemaker specialising in Meursault. Together, they started Clandestin: a micro-négociant which buys sustainably-grown grapes from just 8 hectares, and creates the most terroir-expressive Champagnes imaginable.
This duo are producing limited quantities of fantastic wines, all hand-picked and farmed both organically and biodynamically. The name “clandestine” comes from the French for “hidden” and alludes to the 8 hectares of land they focus on. These historically overlooked parcels of north and west-facing vineyards, nestled above the town of Buxières, produce grapes of outstanding quality.
Each cuvée comes from a particular sun exposure: as the names suggest, Austral’s Pinot Noir grapes come from the south-facing vineyards, while Boreal’s come from the north. This is a Champagne producer whose passion is respectful viticulture and terroir expression, creating wines ideal for Champagne purists who value minerality, cut, and precision.
Blanc de Noirs
Blanc de Noirs describes a wine produced entirely from black grapes. In Champagne, Blanc de Noirs cuvée can be made from the two black grapes permitted within the appellation, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Bollinger's prestige cuvée Vieilles Vignes Françaises, from ungrafted, old Pinot Noir vines, has set the yardstick in a style that is now produced by a number of other Champagne houses.
A typical Blanc de Noirs cuvée has a deep golden colour, and can be more intensely flavoured than the classic non-vintage, multi-grape blend.Recommended Producers: Cedric Bouchard, Bollinger
Champagne blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The Austral Brut Nature Blanc de Noirs, grown from Champagne Clandestin’s south-facing vineyards in Buxières, has a lively energy and astonishing concentration. There’s a complexity here that demands to be taken seriously, with the nose boasting generous aromas of wild strawberry and lychee. On the palate, these balance well with a zesty acidity, a creamy mousse and a fresh limestone-mineral finish. Although open and inviting now, this will continue to be enjoyable for the next decade or so.
Davy Żyw, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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