Champagne Brut Nature
Le Clos L'Abbé Magnum

The Champagne Le Clos l'Abbé by Hubert Soreau comes from a tiny walled plot of just 0.21 hectares on the edge of Épernay, where the Vallée de la Marne meets the Côte des Blancs, planted with vines since the ninth century by order of the Bishop of Reims and later tied to the abbey built by the Counts of Épernay. A terroir of Cretaceous chalk crossed by micro-fractures, where the roots go deep in search of water and freshness and every plant is tended as if in a garden, with no herbicides or pesticides.

This edition in Magnum format, from the 2011 harvest, brings together Chardonnay grapes from three small parcels of this Clos, picked at full ripeness and whole-bunch pressed, with vinification and maturation in fût de chêne made from wood taken from the nearby forest of Hautvillers. After tirage comes seventy-eight months of ageing on the lees under natural cork, at the end of which dégorgement à la volée leaves the wine with no final dosage, in Brut Nature style.

On tasting, Le Clos l'Abbé 2011 shows a bright golden hue, crossed by a fine and regular perlage that introduces a profile of ripe white fruit, candied citrus, hazelnut and a chalky note of great clarity. On the palate the long time spent on the lees builds a rich and creamy material that the acidity keeps taut and vertical, with a balance between power and lightness that carries on into a long, saline finish of almond, white flowers and mineral returns.