Les Volies, Brut Nature 2017

A deep, powerful Champagne in which fruit, oak ageing and long lees ageing come together into elegance, finesse and complexity. It already feels well-integrated, yet it is only at the beginning of its development.

Loïc Barrat took over the family estate in Bethon in 2005, where the vineyards of the Sézannais had lain fallow for generations. Together with Aurélie Masson, winemaker and the driving force behind the organic conversion, he now farms seven hectares on pure chalk. The Chardonnay for this cuvée grows on chalk soils (80%) topped with clay, the Pinot Noir on more clay-rich soils over limestone and chalk. The vines are around 40 years old, and the yield was 60 hl/ha.

50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. Only the Cœur de Cuvée was used for the base wine; after natural settling, the juice fermented entirely in 600-litre demi-muids, where it remained for nine months. The blend consists of roughly 75% from 2018 and 25% from 2017. The Champagne aged 36 months on the lees in bottle and was disgorged by hand. 12.5% vol.

Apricot, peach and yellow apple meet the citrus freshness of ripe cedro lemon, backed by marzipan and lightly toasted nuts. The wood remains a supporting element without masking the fruit. With no dosage, the wine stays linear and is carried by a clear acidity.

Lightly smoked mackerel with pistachio pesto, fennel salad with lobster and roasted grapes, or pork belly with fennel and blood orange salad.

Base wine fully fermented and aged in wood, yet still Brut Nature — meaning no dosage at all after disgorgement. This demands base wines capable of standing on their own. A Champagne worth following over the coming years.