Brut Nature (Magnum) (1.5 L)

When Rémi Leroy returned to his family's Côte des Bar estate in 2006 after completing a Masters in Oenology at Bordeaux, he made a deliberate break from the blending-house orthodoxy of Champagne — vinifying each parcel individually, sourcing used barrels from Hubert Lamy of St-Aubin and Thomas Pico of Chablis, and bottling without fining or filtration. The NV Brut Nature is the clearest expression of that philosophy.

The 9.5-hectare estate spans Meurville, Bergères, and Fontaine in the Aube, where Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soils — geologically identical to Chablis — deliver a chiselled, saline mineral tension rarely encountered in Champagne. Meurville's vineyards straddle east and southwest-facing hillsides divided by the Le Landion tributary, creating the thermal contrast that preserves acidity in fully ripe fruit.

The blend runs 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier, incorporating 30% reserve wine from a perpetual solera started in 2009. Must is handled entirely by gravity after pressing on a PAI Coquard horizontal press; fermentation proceeds on indigenous yeasts across stainless steel and used Burgundian barrels (300–400 L), with full malolactic fermentation and 18–20 months on lees. Zero dosage at bottling.

The special feature: this is Brut Nature Champagne built on Chablis-analogue geology with a Burgundian cellar hand — no dosage sugar masking the site, no fining agents softening the texture. The Kimmeridgian backbone speaks without interference. Drink now through 3–4 years; the solera component adds textural depth that rewards short-term cellaring.