Copains N°2 Brut Nature 2021

A Champagne without dosage that seeks its impact not through fruit but through spice, bitterness and structure. Dry, linear and austerely fresh, yet pure and unadorned. Its substance and grip mean it holds its own at the table, not just as an aperitif.

The grapes grow on the Côte des Bar in the south of Champagne. The wine is bottled in Les Riceys, the only village in Champagne permitted to produce three appellations: Champagne, still wine and Rosé des Riceys. Beneath the surface lies Kimmeridgian chalk, which gives the wines from here their pronounced minerality.

Single-varietal Pinot Noir. Cuvée N°2 is the work of Émile Grados; the fruit comes from him and fellow growers, among them Olivier Horiot, through whose estate this Champagne is also sourced. It was disgorged without dosage in June 2025, meaning no sugar whatsoever was added before bottling. Alcohol content is 13.0% vol.

The nose is restrained yet fruity, and distinctly spicy: tart citrus zest, grapefruit peel and mellow stone fruit over yeasty and earthy nuances. With air, the delicate Pinot fruit gains presence without ever pushing forward. The palate opens dry and focused, with apple and citrus, slightly oxidative stone fruit notes and a piquant bitterness. The perlage integrates into the firm structure, with the pressure lending real presence.

Olivier Horiot has farmed his estate in Les Riceys biodynamically since 2010, ploughing the soils with horses and vinifying all seven permitted Champagne grape varieties, including the near-extinct Arbane. All the house's Champagnes are bottled without dosage.