Éclats de Meulière Extra Brut V22/21 1500ml Magnum

This champagne expresses its origin through minerality: flint, taut acidity, crisp fruit. Extra Brut means a very minimal dosage, and it is precisely this dryness that gives the wine its straightforward character. In magnum format, the perlage stays fine and the aromatics remain youthful.

Talus-Saint-Prix lies in the Vallée du Petit Morin, on the southern edge of the Côte des Blancs. Meulière means millstone: the soil is full of flint, which was once quarried here to make millstones. Cyril Jeaunaux and Clémence farm five hectares on south-facing slopes above the Petit Morin, a tributary of the Marne. Pinot Meunier covers over 50 percent of the vineyard area, a grape variety that withstands the valley's late frosts. In 1986, Cyril's parents Michel and Marie-Claude hand-dug a cellar into the chalk bedrock; there the bottles mature at a constant 12 degrees for two to seven years before disgorgement.

Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with Meunier setting the tone. Cyril Jeaunaux took over in 1999 and converted the estate to biodynamic farming, joined since 2013 by Jacques Mell. The grapes are hand-pressed, and fermentation starts spontaneously without added yeasts. Ageing takes place in steel tanks, enamelled concrete and used oak barrels of at least ten years, so that the wood doesn't come through. The vines average 40 years of age, with some considerably older.

Lemon zest, green apple and mirabelle plum, along with white blossom and a hint of brioche. The finish remains saline, mineral and long, at 12.0 percent alcohol by volume.

Oysters, prawns and smoked trout, as well as goat cheese, Comté or poultry in lemon jus.

Biodynamic farming, hand pressing, spontaneous fermentation and maturation in a hand-dug chalk cellar. Cyril Jeaunaux is a member of the association Terres et Vins de Champagne.