Cuvée "Métisse" Noirs & Blancs LME18 Brut Nature 1500ml Magnum

Brut Nature here means: no dosage, zero grams of residual sugar. The Métisse accordingly presents itself unadorned, chalky and taut, with the mineral pull that the chalk of Les Riceys imparts. The name refers to the blend of black and white: Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, bottled in a 1500 ml magnum.

Les Riceys lies in the Côte des Bar in the south of Champagne and is the only village in the region permitted to produce three appellations: Champagne, still wine, and Rosé des Riceys. Beneath the vines lies Kimmeridgian chalk, the foundation of the pronounced minerality. The Horiot family has cultivated vines here since the 17th century. Olivier Horiot took over the estate from his father Serge in 1999 and immediately converted it to organic farming; since 2010 he has worked biodynamically and ploughs the soils with horses.

Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, two of the seven grape varieties permitted in Champagne, all of which Horiot vinifies, including the nearly extinct Arbane. Each plot is harvested and vinified separately, and fermentation proceeds spontaneously with wild yeasts in used barriques. Unfiltered, unfined, minimal sulphur. The cellar is run by Marie Horiot, and the vineyard covers around eight hectares.

Citrus fruit and green apple, followed by ripe apricot, white blossom and a hint of brioche. The acidity is crisp, the mousse fine, the finish bone-dry and chalky.

Oysters and raw fish, sole in butter, grilled spiny lobster. With cheese, Comté or Chaource, as well as chicken with morels.

Pinot Blanc is one of the four rare varieties of Champagne that together account for less than one percent of the region's vineyard area. Horiot bottles all his Champagnes without dosage and belongs to the winegrowers' association Terres et Vins.