Champagne Brut Nature
Hommage Parcellaire La Sablonnière 2018

The Champagne La Sablonnière by André Heucq brings to the fore the most intimate soul of the Vallée de la Marne, giving voice to a single parcel of the same name (lieu-dit) located near the village of Olizy, where clay soils give Pinot Noir a deep texture and a bold character. Part of the Hommage Parcellaire collection, a limited series of single-parcel vintage Champagnes, it is the Domaine’s tribute to the diversity of its terroirs, interpreting each parcel as an authentic and unrepeatable story of the place it comes from.

This edition, Vintage 2018, is a Blanc de Noirs made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes harvested in the parcel that gives the cuvée its name. Vinification and fermentation take place in fût de chêne, where the wine also matures, a choice that adds breadth and complexity without sacrificing the tension of the fruit. After tirage, the wine ages on the lees for at least 60 months, while the absence of a final dosage, in a Brut Nature style, lets the character of the terroir express itself in a direct and transparent way, in a limited production that makes it a true Champagne de Terroir.

On tasting, La Sablonnière 2018 shows a pale gold colour, enlivened by a slow, fine and abundant effervescence, delicate and steady. The nose is surprising for its profile, at once rustic and exotic, where green apple and root notes such as celery intertwine with a fruity background of kiwi, passion fruit and watermelon. On the palate it is dynamic, full and rigorous, with incisive liveliness, a rich and muscular texture, a spicy effervescence and tight tannins that make it a small powerhouse of structure, vigorous, slightly bitter and savoury at the same time. The long, dense finish reveals a saline, sap-filled minerality on a background of passion fruit, closing with remarkable persistence.