Recolte Noire zero dosage

Davy Dosnon founded his house in 2007 with a single conviction: the Kimmeridgian clay-marl soils of Avirey-Lingey — geologically identical to Chablis premier cru, not the chalk of Reims — demanded to be treated as Burgundy, not as a sparkling factory. Récolte Noire is 100% Pinot Noir (Blanc de Noirs), sourced from vines averaging over 30 years old planted on hard limestone over fossilized Exogyra Virgula oyster-rich subsoil, approximately 40 km north of Chablis. That marine-fossil terroir drives a saline, oyster-shell minerality that chalk-based Champagne structurally cannot replicate. Fermentation and malolactic conversion take place entirely in old Burgundian barriques (228L), 500L, and 600L demi-muids — all minimum five years old — using only indigenous yeasts, a practice applied across the full lineup, almost unheard of at any Champagne house. The base wine spends approximately 10 months in barrel before assemblage with ~30% reserve wines; bottle aging on lees extends to 2–3 years before disgorgement. Zero dosage (non-dosé), unfined, and unfiltered — nothing is added to soften or correct. The special feature here is structural: zero dosage on a Blanc de Noirs fully vinified in old oak produces a wine where raw Kimmeridgian minerality and Pinot Noir's red-fruit tension carry the entire finish without sugar as a crutch. Drink now through 5+ years; each disgorgement batch reflects the character of its base harvest year.