Arietis, Vandières, Brut Nature

The Arietis Vandières Brut Nature is a single-parcel Champagne made from pure Pinot Meunier from the right bank of the Marne. It aims for structure, acid tension and a salty-seeming, chalky minerality rather than opulent spice. The overall impression stays bright, clear and ethereal.

The grapes grow in the lieux-dits La Perchotte and La Forzie in Vandières, on a mix of calcareous marl, clay and sand that stands for cool, precise Meunier wines with clear minerality. Alexis Leconte farms around 10 hectares across some 40 parcels in Troissy, Dormans, Mareuil-le-Port, Vandières and Aÿ, exclusively with his own grapes. Since the first steps back towards organic farming in 2013, the estate has worked along biodynamic principles, with cover cropping, deep ploughing and all work carried out in tune with the lunar and seasonal cycles.

100% Pinot Meunier, spontaneously fermented with the vineyard's own yeasts and aged in 400-litre tonneaux. Malolactic fermentation is skipped, followed by around 24 months of lees ageing in bottle. Disgorged as Brut Nature, meaning with no dosage. 12.0% vol.

The entry is ultra-fine, the mousse very fine-grained, a chalky, finely drawn phenolic imprint gives it a firm bite and a long, wide-spanning finish. Citrus aromas meet stone fruit, Cape gooseberry and a touch of hop shoot, underpinned by a delicate smoky note. The ripe acidity feels razor-sharp and carries the light-footed, focused finish. On the nose beforehand: nutmeg blossom, white pepper, lemon curd, green mandarin, grapefruit zest and white tea.

With oysters, ceviche and thinly sliced tuna carpaccio, as well as with smoked trout.

A Meunier that takes the often underrated variety seriously as a single-vineyard wine: zero dosage, no malolactic fermentation, pure fruit with grip.