AUSTRAL Brut Nature PDM 2022

Pale copper-pink with a fine, persistent bead. The nose is open and already well developed: autolytic notes of brioche and toasted bread meet wild strawberry, raspberry, bergamot and citron, alongside blossom, a touch of ginger, cool limestone and a hint of beeswax. Precise and well balanced, a gastronomic Champagne with depth and length.

The grapes grow on limestone-rich, south-facing parcels near Buxières-sur-Arce in the Côte des Bar. The soil is Kimmeridgian marl from the Jurassic, rich in marine shells. Benoît Doussot founded Clandestin in 2015 after graduating from the Lycée Viticole in Beaune; he now works out of his winery in Landreville, completed in 2023, which allows gravity-flow vinification across two levels without pumps.

Single-varietal Pinot Noir. After whole-cluster pressing, the must ferments spontaneously, with ageing taking place in used wooden barrels. Doussot favours barrels of 500 to 600 litres, as they keep the wines leaner and require less sulphur. The base wines age for twelve months in wood, then spend a winter en masse in tank; after bottle fermentation, they rest for at least 15 months sur lattes. Disgorgement took place in April 2025, with no dosage.

Creamy and vinous, yet carried by remarkable freshness. Red berries, ripe yellow fruit and delicate citrus notes meet pastry, a hint of nougat and a pronounced chalky minerality. The fine bead and vibrant acidity keep the texture taut, the finish is saline, iodine-tinged and long.

Seared scallops, oysters on ice, cured salmon with citrus, duck breast with red cabbage, or a mature Comté.

Clandestin buys exclusively organic grapes from eleven partner growers in the southern Champagne region, supports them in converting to organic farming, and pays fair prices. All of the house's cuvées remain undosed.