Grains de Celles (375 ml)

In 2021, Aurélien Gerbais made a decisive break: zero sulphur added during vinification or ageing, with only a minimal adjustment at bottling (total SO2 ~25–30 mg/L) — a transparency commitment that repositioned this Côte des Bar house firmly among Champagne's low-intervention vanguard. The 18-hectare estate sits entirely within Celles-sur-Ource at the confluence of the Seine, Arce, Laigne, and Ource valleys, where Kimmeridgian marl and limestone — the same fossil-dense subsoil that defines Chablis — drives the wine's chalky tension and saline precision. Grains de Celles blends 50% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, and 25% Pinot Blanc, the last sourced from Gerbais's 4 hectares of estate Pinot Blanc — the largest holding of this near-extinct Champenois variety anywhere in the appellation. Primary fermentation proceeds in stainless steel with indigenous pied-de-cuve yeasts; full malolactic fermentation is completed in tank; reserve wines rest in used demi-muids from Olivier Lamy (Saint-Aubin) within a perpetual reserve system initiated in 2011. The wine ages sur lattes for 30–36 months minimum, is bottled unfiltered and unfined, and receives Extra Brut dosage at 3 g/L via MCR rather than cane sugar. The 2021 base vintage, drawn from both south-facing endroit and north-facing envers slopes, brings a tighter, more vivid acid line than warmer years, with the Pinot Blanc fraction adding textural breadth without weight. Drink now through 2028.