Le Fond du Bateau N°13 Chouilly Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2013

Cool, clear, bone-dry. This Blanc de Blancs favours tension over richness: lemon zest, green apple and wet chalk set the tone, with sweetness kept firmly at bay.

The grapes grow in Chouilly, one of the Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, on deep chalk soils. Based in Cramant, Pertois-Lebrun tends 44 plots across 9.5 hectares in Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly, Oger and Oiry, each vinified separately.

Single-varietal Chardonnay from the 2013 vintage, hand-harvested and selected, with yields consistently kept low. Depending on the cuvée, the base wines age in stainless steel, wood or sandstone amphorae, with the wood never meant to dominate. Malolactic fermentation is decided case by case according to vintage and plot. This is followed by at least three years of lees ageing, with riddling done by hand. Dosage: Extra Brut, 12.0% vol.

The acidity strikes immediately, with the long lees ageing lending a creamy texture beneath it without slowing its drive. Lime zest, salted butter and brioche, alongside a chalky mouthfeel. The finish stays saline and long.

With fresh oysters, seared scallops with lemon or a sole fillet in a light butter sauce.

The house traces back to the marriage of Paul Pertois and Françoise Lebrun, who in 1955 combined their families' vineyards. Today Clément and Antoine run the estate in its fifth generation: Clément is converting the vineyards to organic farming, while Antoine, who joined from management consulting, oversees the business side.