# Chardonnay de la Côte des Bar Brut Nature (2016)

- **Producer:** Champagne Louise Brison
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** 100% Chardonnay
- **Region:** Champagne, France
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €60
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, lemon, yellow fruits, saffron, fennel pollen, buckwheat, freshly baked bread, raw almond, Noisette, lemon meringue, dried herbs, sherry

## About this wine

Champagne Louise Brison's Chardonnay de la Côte des Bar Brut Nature 2016 is a single-vintage Blanc de Blancs from the southernmost part of Champagne. The estate, a family affair for four generations, is dedicated to organic viticulture and expressing the unique terroir of the Côte des Bar, known for its Kimmeridgian limestone soils. This specific vintage faced challenges due to frost, leading to low yields but high-quality fruit. The wine is characterized by its 100% Chardonnay composition, barrel vinification, and extended lees aging, culminating in a Brut Nature style with no added sugar.

## Interesting facts

- Vineyards are at an elevation of up to 320m.
- The estate has practiced organic viticulture since 2012, certified in 2020.
- This wine spent nearly seven years aging on its lees.
- It's a 'Brut Nature' with zero dosage – no sugar added after disgorgement.

## Food pairing

The wine's high acidity and pronounced minerality cut through rich or fatty elements in dishes, cleansing the palate. Its complexity and subtle oak notes complement richer seafood and aged cheeses, while its precision makes it ideal for delicate flavors.

## Wine making process

The Chardonnay de la Côte des Bar Brut Nature 2016 begins with grapes from Louise Brison's organically farmed vineyards in the Côte des Bar. The base wine is vinified and aged for nine months in used oak barrels, a signature of the estate. Following secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine rests on its lees for nearly seven years, a crucial step for developing complexity and texture. As a Brut Nature, no dosage or sugar is added after disgorgement, resulting in a pure, dry expression of the vintage. The 2016 harvest was characterized by low yields due to frost, contributing to the wine's concentration.