Instinct Meunier Brut Nature 2018

The Instinct Meunier Brut Nature 2018 is a champagne made purely from Pinot Meunier, grown on flint and clay in Talus-Saint-Prix. Uncompromisingly dry, mineral at its core and full of drive: a sparkling wine for advanced palates.

Talus-Saint-Prix lies at the southern edge of the Côte des Blancs, between the Côte des Blancs and the Côte de Sézanne. Cyril Jeaunaux and Clémence Robin farm five hectares of south-facing slopes above the Petit Morin biodynamically. This wine comes solely from the Le Grand Morceau plot, whose soil combines clay and flint, the same silex once quarried to make millstones. The vines here are 59 years old.

100 percent Pinot Meunier, a variety that withstands the late frosts of the Vallée du Petit Morin and has been at home here for generations. The grapes are pressed by hand, and fermentation starts spontaneously with no added yeasts. The base wine ages in used barrels from 2004, with no malolactic fermentation. Disgorged 2019, dosage 0 grams, 12.0% ABV.

In the glass, a sparkling lemon yellow with delicate orange hues. The nose combines yellow fruit of mirabelle plum, ripe pineapple and peach with toasted buttery brioche, bourbon vanilla and vanilla crescent biscuit, alongside sea spray, oyster shell and cold smoke. The palate arrives tauter and clearer than the nose suggests. The acidity builds pressure, a mineral film settles compactly across the teeth, and fine bitter notes stand alongside the fruit at the close. The finish lingers long on oyster shell and lemon zest.

Confit halibut with fresh peas and parsley beurre blanc, grilled fennel sausage with hot mustard and cucumber-dill salad, or baked sweet potato with yellow lentils and tarragon.

Michel and Marie-Claude Jeaunaux hand-dug a cellar into the chalk rock in 1986. It holds a constant 12 degrees, where the bottles age for two to seven years before disgorgement. Cyril Jeaunaux took over in 1999 and converted the estate to biodynamic farming, guided by consultant Jacques Mell since 2013. The estate belongs to the association Terres et Vins de Champagne.