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Champagne
From a simple name of a French province, Champagne has become a magic word that needs no translation. It is synonymous with elegance and savoir vivre, style and refinement. We continue to ship directly from small and large producers, bringing lesser known labels to the attention of Australian Champagne enthusiasts. We also frequently offer very special deals from bigger houses. Browse our top rated Champagnes here.
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2011 Vouette et Sorbee Sobre ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$290. 00Bottle$3480.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Another rarity, Sobre debuted in 2005 and is Bertrand’s experiment in making a pure, late-disgorged Chardonnay. In great years for this Estate, of which 2011 was one, Gautherot pieces together a single barrel of his finest Chardonnay for extended lees aging. Following 100-plus months sur lattes, this was disgorged by hand in April 2020. Naturally, because of the alternate methodology and the length of aging on lees you can expect something far more complex, fascinating and delicious!
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Vouette et Sorbee Blanc d'Argile (R18) Champagne Magnum (1500ml)Champagne, FRANCE$450. 00Bottle$5400.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Blanc d’Argile has been described as Grand Cru Chablis with bubbles—a comparison that, on this evidence, flatters many a Chablis producer. Within the cold, west-facing, Kimmeridgian limestone-rich lieu-dit of Biaunes, there is a small plot of Chardonnay that Gautherot planted wild (without preparing the soils) amongst the native vegetation. The Côte des Bar is overwhelmingly planted to Pinot Noir, but nevertheless he did this in 2000, with massale cuttings from Anselme Selosse’s vines (in Avize) and Vincent Dauvissat’s Valmur Grand Cru vineyard. This plot has become the base of what Antonio Galloni calls “one of the most beautiful and distinctive wines in Champagne.” Fermentation for this wine was wild and took place in 4-10 year old, 500 and 600 litre barrels, with a small a portion of fruit fermented and raised in Georgian amphora. As with the Fidele, this wine spent roughly 15-18 months in bottle on lees, before being disgorged by hand with zero dosage.
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Vouette et Sorbee Fidele (R18) ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$165. 00Bottle$1980.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Fidele is 100% Pinot Noir grown on Kimmeridgian limestone soils. The Fonnet vineyard, located in a small, enclosed valley, provides the heart of this cuvée. Sorbée provides much of the balance, topped off by Châtel, a very rocky and limestone-rich vineyard with 20-plus-year-old Pinot Noir. Overall, the vine age for this wine averages 30 years. Following pressing in a traditional, vertical Coquard press, Fidele was vinified entirely without added yeast or chaptalisation, in used Burgundian barrels for 10 months (these barriques were purchased from Domaine Arnaud Ente in Meursault). The wine then spent 15-20 months on lees in bottle after secondary fermentation, and was disgorged with zero dosage.
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Vouette et Sorbee Blanc d'Argile (R15) Champagne Magnum (1500ml)Champagne, FRANCE$399. 00Bottle$4788.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Blanc d’Argile has been described as Grand Cru Chablis with bubbles—a comparison that, on this evidence, flatters many a Chablis producer. Within the cold, west-facing, Kimmeridgian limestone-rich lieu-dit of Biaunes, there is a small plot of Chardonnay that Gautherot planted wild (without preparing the soils) amongst the native vegetation. The Côte des Bar is overwhelmingly planted to Pinot Noir, but nevertheless he did this in 2000, with massale cuttings from Anselme Selosse’s vines (in Avize) and Vincent Dauvissat’s Valmur Grand Cru vineyard. This plot has become the base of what Antonio Galloni calls “one of the most beautiful and distinctive wines in Champagne.” Fermentation for this wine was wild and took place in four- to 10-year-old, 500- and 600-litre barrels, with a small a portion of fruit fermented and raised in Georgian amphora. As with the Fidele, this wine spent roughly 15-18 months in bottle on lees, before being disgorged by hand with zero dosage.
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2010 Vouette et Sorbee Extrait ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$310. 00Bottle$3720.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Extrait takes its name from the French for extract, which is exactly what it is—a barrel’s worth of wine extracted from a single vintage. In fact, this is a blend drawn from the Domaine’s finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay barrels with the composition following the percentage of each variety harvested that year. So, while it generally comes in around 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, the final blend depends on the harvest. Furthermore, the terroirs that supply this cuvée are not set in stone; Gautherot simply selects his favourite parcels by taste, although the Chardonnay almost always comes from Biaunes and the Pinot Noir often comes from the Portlandian Sorbée vineyard. The wine spends between eight and nine years on lees before being disgorged by hand.
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Vouette et Sorbee Saignee de Sorbee (R15) Rose ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$270. 00Bottle$3240.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Saignee de Sorbee is a thrilling, idiosyncratic, sappy, stemmy, peppery rosé that can be thought of as a delicious light red as much as a rosé Champagne. The Sorbee plot is a little plateau above the slope where Vouette sits and is almost pure Portlandian limestone—something very rare in Champagne. The site is almost flat, with a slight exposure towards the southwest. Gautherot harvests here in multiple passes, with only the smallest bunches and ripest fruit making it into his Saignee.
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Vouette et Sorbee Fidele (R15) ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$160. 00Bottle$1920.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Fidele is 100% Pinot Noir grown on Kimmeridgian limestone soils. The Fonnet vineyard, located in a small, enclosed valley, provides the heart of this cuvée. Sorbée provides much of the balance, topped off by Châtel, a very rocky and limestone-rich vineyard with 20-plus-year-old Pinot Noir. Overall, the vine age for this wine averages 30 years. Following pressing in a traditional, vertical Coquard press, Fidele was vinified entirely without added yeast or chaptalisation, in used Burgundian barrels for 10 months (these barriques were purchased from Domaine Arnaud Ente in Meursault). The wine then spent 15-20 months on lees in bottle after secondary fermentation, and was disgorged with zero dosage.
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Vouette et Sorbee Textures (R15) ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$210. 00Bottle$2520.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Textures is one of Gautherot’s newest cuvée; a rare, 100% Pinot Blanc Champagne crafted from vines in the Fonnet vineyard (planted between 1995 and 2000). Gautherot describes it as his “easiest” wine, i.e. the one that is the easiest to drink young. There is certainly more pulpy texture (hence the name), more fruit, and easier-going refreshment than in his Blanc d’Argile. There is also ample intensity and a great deal of poise and interest on offer, and a complexity that comes from the aging. This is a unique, one-of-a-kind expression of the Côte des Bar. You can expect candied citrus, floral and ripe lemon aromas and flavours, a generous, not-quite-creamy palate and a twist of gentle, refreshing bitterness on the close.
Other Reviews....
Bertrand Gautherot's biodynamic NV Brut Nature Textures (R14) is a 100% Pinot Blanc from the 2015 harvest that was fermented on the skins in ceramic vessels. Disgorged in November 2016, the wine shows an intense straw-yellow-golden color and a beautifully deep and complex yet fine nose with ripe, concentrated white and yellow-fleshed fruit aromas. Pure, round, fine and very elegant on the palate, this is a juicy, perfectly balanced and beautifully vinous cuvée with a very fine mousse and subtle intensity. It is firm and stimulatingly salty on the complex finish, with ripe apple and lemon/lime flavors in the aftertaste. This is a gorgeous wine whose velvety texture makes it a great wine for itself. There is no aggression or tightness, just a delicate flow of white, fresh fruits with a dash of lime juice and some lip-smacking salinity.
93 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine Advocate (Sept 2018)![60089416_1.jpg]()
Vouette et Sorbee Fidele (R16) ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$160. 00Bottle$1920.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Fidele is 100% Pinot Noir grown on Kimmeridgian limestone soils. The Fonnet vineyard, located in a small, enclosed valley, provides the heart of this cuvée. Sorbée provides much of the balance, topped off by Châtel, a very rocky and limestone-rich vineyard with 20-plus-year-old Pinot Noir. Overall, the vine age for this wine averages 30 years. Following pressing in a traditional, vertical Coquard press, Fidele was vinified entirely without added yeast or chaptalisation, in used Burgundian barrels for 10 months (these barriques were purchased from Domaine Arnaud Ente in Meursault). The wine then spent 15-20 months on lees in bottle after secondary fermentation, and was disgorged with zero dosage.
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Vouette et Sorbee Blanc d'Argile (R14) ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$199. 00Bottle$2388.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Blanc d’Argile has been described as Grand Cru Chablis with bubbles—a comparison that, on this evidence, flatters many a Chablis producer. Within the cold, west-facing, Kimmeridgian limestone-rich lieu-dit of Biaunes, there is a small plot of Chardonnay that Gautherot planted wild (without preparing the soils) amongst the native vegetation. The Côte des Bar is overwhelmingly planted to Pinot Noir, but nevertheless he did this in 2000, with massale cuttings from Anselme Selosse’s vines (in Avize) and Vincent Dauvissat’s Valmur Grand Cru vineyard. This plot has become the base of what Antonio Galloni calls “one of the most beautiful and distinctive wines in Champagne.” Fermentation for this wine was wild and took place in 4-10 year old, 500 and 600 litre barrels, with a small a portion of fruit fermented and raised in Georgian amphora. As with the Fidele, this wine spent roughly 15-18 months in bottle on lees, before being disgorged by hand with zero dosage.
Other Reviews....
From a rather young vineyard (less than ten years old) planted with nothing but Chardonnay, the NV Brut Nature Blanc d'Argile—here, the "R14," which is entirely based on the 2014 harvest—is an intensely citrus colored, white-golden shimmering beauty. Intense yet fine and floral on the nose, this oak-fermented (you don't really get that aromatically!) Blanc de Blancs shows an iodine and almost floral (think of broom!), intense and vinous nose like a fine Chablis. The palate is round yet dry, firm and mineral until the long, tensioned, well-structured and very salty finish. This is a great mix of ripe, lush fruit, elegance, finesse and iodine flavors—so, where are the oysters?
93 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine Advocate (Sept 2018)![60089417_1.jpg]()
Vouette et Sorbee Fidele (R17) ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$165. 00Bottle$1980.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Fidele is 100% Pinot Noir grown on Kimmeridgian limestone soils. The Fonnet vineyard, located in a small, enclosed valley, provides the heart of this cuvée. Sorbée provides much of the balance, topped off by Châtel, a very rocky and limestone-rich vineyard with 20-plus-year-old Pinot Noir. Overall, the vine age for this wine averages 30 years. Following pressing in a traditional, vertical Coquard press, Fidele was vinified entirely without added yeast or chaptalisation, in used Burgundian barrels for 10 months (these barriques were purchased from Domaine Arnaud Ente in Meursault). The wine then spent 15-20 months on lees in bottle after secondary fermentation, and was disgorged with zero dosage.
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Vouette et Sorbee Fidele ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$150. 00Bottle$1800.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
The amber-colored NV Brut Nature Fidèle is gorgeous. Lifted, precise and nuanced throughout, the Fidèle possesses a captivating aromatic. Medium in body and tense in style, the Fidèle is super-expressive today. It could use another year in bottle to soften a bit, but it is nevertheless striking.
93 points
Antonio Galloni - Vinous![30000309_1.jpg]()
- 93
Vouette et Sorbee Textures ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$220. 00Bottle$2640.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkTextures is Gautherot’s newest cuvee, a rare, 100% Pinot Blanc Champagne crafted from vines in the Fonnet vineyard (planted between 1995 and 2000). The 2015 was fermented and raised in large Georgian amphora and used oak barrels before blending and then spent 18 months on lees in bottle. These amphora afford Gautherot the kind of lees contact and minimal oxidation he is looking for.
Other Reviews (disgorgement dates vary)....
Very impressive no matter what your ilk. Powerful scents of lemon, lemon curd, lemon rind. Intensely fruity and then a wall of powerful texture. Amazing flavour profile with coiled, concentrated layers of citrus, lemon oil, saline licks, faint nuttiness and finishes with firm, chewy, chalky finish. Such intensity and drive; and building constantly in the glass. Wonderful drinking; absolutely love it. Such character.
95 points
Mike Bennie - WinefrontBertrand Gautherot's biodynamic NV Brut Nature Textures (R14) is a 100% Pinot Blanc from the 2015 harvest that was fermented on the skins in ceramic vessels. Disgorged in November 2016, the wine shows an intense straw-yellow-golden color and a beautifully deep and complex yet fine nose with ripe, concentrated white and yellow-fleshed fruit aromas. Pure, round, fine and very elegant on the palate, this is a juicy, perfectly balanced and beautifully vinous cuvée with a very fine mousse and subtle intensity. It is firm and stimulatingly salty on the complex finish, with ripe apple and lemon/lime flavors in the aftertaste. This is a gorgeous wine whose velvety texture makes it a great wine for itself. There is no aggression or tightness, just a delicate flow of white, fresh fruits with a dash of lime juice and some lip-smacking salinity.
93 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine Advocate #2338 (Sep 2018)![30000120_1.jpg]()
- 93
Vouette et Sorbee Blanc D'Argile ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$199. 00Bottle$2388.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkOther Reviews....
The NV Brut Nature Blanc d'Argile is terrific. Vinous and rich on the palate, as these Champagnes are, offers a striking interplay of fruit intensity and tension from the non-dosage style. With time in the glass, the wine gains precision and energy.
93 points
Antonio Galloni - Vinous![Vouette et Sorbee Fidele (R19) Champagne]()
- Biodynamic
Vouette et Sorbee Fidele (R19) ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$170. 00Bottle$2040.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Fidele is 100% Pinot Noir grown on Kimmeridgian limestone soils. The Fonnet vineyard, located in a small, enclosed valley, provides the heart of this cuvée. Sorbée provides much of the balance, topped off by Châtel, a very rocky and limestone-rich vineyard with 20-plus-year-old Pinot Noir. Overall, the vine age for this wine averages 30 years. Following pressing in a traditional, vertical Coquard press, Fidele was vinified entirely without added yeast or chaptalisation, in used Burgundian barrels for 10 months (these barriques were purchased from Domaine Arnaud Ente in Meursault). The wine then spent 15-20 months on lees in bottle after secondary fermentation, and was disgorged with zero dosage.
![Vouette et Sorbee Saignee de Sorbee (R19) Rose Champagne]()
- Biodynamic
Vouette et Sorbee Saignee de Sorbee (R19) Rose ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$280. 00Bottle$3360.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Saignee de Sorbee is a thrilling, idiosyncratic, sappy, stemmy, peppery rosé that can be thought of as a delicious light red as much as a rosé Champagne. The Sorbee plot is a little plateau above the slope where Vouette sits and is almost pure Portlandian limestone—something very rare in Champagne. The site is almost flat, with a slight exposure towards the southwest. Gautherot harvests here in multiple passes, with only the smallest bunches and ripest fruit making it into his Saignee.
![2012 Vouette et Sorbee Extrait Champagne]()
- Biodynamic
2012 Vouette et Sorbee Extrait ChampagneChampagne, FRANCE$350. 00Bottle$4200.00 DozenABV: 12%Closure: CorkBertrand Gautherot has been quietly working away in the hamlet of Buxières-sur-Arce, in the Aube’s Côte des Bar region of Champagne, yet his wines have not escaped the attention of the top restaurants and retailers of the world. Each year Vouette & Sorbee allocations are eagerly awaited, and these exceptionally fine wines are consistently some of the best and most unique expressions from the area.
The vineyards here lie closer to Chablis than to Épernay, both in distance and geology, with soils dominated by the same Kimmeridgian limestone for which Chablis is famed. Gautherot’s wines take their deep and powerful personalities from these soils and the (relatively) sunnier climate of the southern Aube. His wines all come from a single harvest—noted by the “R” number on the back label—with the exception of the Fidèle cuvée, which sees a small addition of 5-10% reserve wine from a perpetual blend started in 2001. His winemaking abhors any kind of manipulation in the cellar. Gautherot uses the traditional Coquard press and the juice is transferred into oak or amphorae via gravity rather than being pumped. Primary fermentations are always carried out with natural yeasts and riddling and disgorgement are all done entirely by hand. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration and without dosage. The results are some of Champagne’s most original and delicious wines: wines of distinctive personality, energy and sense of place.
Extrait takes its name from the French for extract, which is exactly what it is—a barrel’s worth of wine extracted from a single vintage. In fact, this is a blend drawn from the Domaine’s finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay barrels with the composition following the percentage of each variety harvested that year. So, while it generally comes in around 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, the final blend depends on the harvest. Furthermore, the terroirs that supply this cuvée are not set in stone; Gautherot simply selects his favourite parcels by taste, although the Chardonnay almost always comes from Biaunes and the Pinot Noir often comes from the Portlandian Sorbée vineyard. The wine spends between eight and nine years on lees before being disgorged by hand.
