2020 Etienne Sandrin - Champagne Extra Brut A Travers Celles (750ml) [PRE ARRIVAL]

Anne, an agricultural engineer, and Étienne Sandrin, a lawyer by training, took over the family vineyards in Celles-sur-Ource in 2006, in the Côte des Bar. For generations the Sandrins had sold their grapes to the local cooperative, but in 2014 the couple began bottling a small portion of the harvest for themselves and a close circle of friends. They converted the ten-hectare estate to organic farming and later to biodynamics, working land planted mostly to Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, with a tiny amount of Chardonnay.

À Travers Celles is the only blended cuvée in the range, drawn from three distinct plots running through the village: Mouille-Brant, Vieux Moulin, and Grille Besace. The 2020 vintage combines Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc grown on Kimmeridgian soils of limestone and clay, vinified in steel tanks with no added dosage. Slightly longer pressing that year gave the wine a faint natural coloration, which the Sandrins chose to leave untouched rather than correct.

The wine offers bright citrus and orchard fruit, with lime and pear leading to a spicy, saline finish shaped by its varied soils. Try it with roast veal or a plate of fried fish.