A l’Aube de la Côte des Bar Brut Nature 2020

A Brut Nature, meaning bottled without any dosage, that brings together the ripeness of the 2020 vintage with a cool, precise contour. On the nose, lemon, salted lemon and white peach, while with air crushed limestone, oyster shell and a hint of iodine emerge. Acidity, salinity and a lively mousse keep this Champagne youthfully taut despite its fullness.

The vines grow around Noé-les-Mallets in the Côte des Bar, at around 320 metres of altitude. The subsoil of Kimmeridgian limestone and marl, topped with a layer of clay, gives the wine its stony, saline character. Champagne Louise Brison was founded in 1910 and is now run by fourth-generation winemaker Delphine Brulez, an agricultural engineer and oenologist.

The cuvée consists of equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, entirely from the 2020 vintage. The base wines fermented with wild yeasts in barrique, were blended in stainless steel, and went into bottle for their second fermentation in July 2022. Disgorgement took place in March 2026, without dosage. Delphine Brulez separates the musts across four successive pressings and prunes the vines using the Simonit-Sirch method; under her guidance, mycorrhizal presence in the soil has risen from 18 to 70 percent.

Red cellar apple, vine peach and ripe red berries meet lemon zest, redcurrant and a fine herbal spiciness. Bitter orange zest and pronounced salinity give structure to the fleshy texture, and the finish remains long and distinctly mineral.

With oysters, scallops, a platter of seafood, or pata negra ham.

All Champagnes from this house are vintage wines and are bottled as Brut Nature, without any added sugar.