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Clandestine
In the summer of 2015, Benoît Doussot packed away his diploma from the Lycée Viticole in Beaune and headed to the Côte des Bar – not to join one of the grand houses, but to start something of his own. Clandestin was born: a micro-négociant project that transforms organic grapes from eleven winemakers in southern Champagne into precise, undosed champagnes. His mentor? Bertrand Gautherot of Vouette & Sorbée, in whose converted barn the first cuvées were created. Today Benoît works in his own cellar in Landreville – built on two levels for gravity-fed vinification, equipped with Burgundian sensibility.
More about Clandestin
Kimmeridgian and Portlandian: the DNA of the Côte des Bar
The Côte des Bar is geologically closer to Chablis than to Reims. Whilst the great houses in the north work with young chalk, Benoît's vineyards rest on Kimmeridgian marl and Portlandian limestone – both from the Jurassic, rich in marine shells and minerality. These soils shape the Champagnes of Clandestin: the BORÉAL comes from north-facing slopes on Kimmeridgian and displays wild strawberries with saline freshness. The AUSTRAL comes from south-facing slopes, is more layered, with greater depth and gastronomic potential.
Burgundian Precision in Champagne
Benoît grew up in Beaune and trained under Jean-Philippe Fichet in Meursault – one of Burgundy's finest white wine makers. This school shapes his style: he prefers larger 500–600-litre barrels instead of the classic Burgundian pièces, because they keep the wines leaner and require less sulphur. "It preserves purity," he says. Spontaneous fermentation begins under temperature control, the base wines mature for twelve months in wood, then another winter "en masse" in tank. After bottle fermentation, the Champagnes age for at least 15 months sur lattes – all undosed, Brut Nature.
A Micro-Négociant with a Mission
Clandestin purchases exclusively organic grapes from eleven partner growers. What makes it special: Benoît actively supports the growers in converting to organic viticulture and pays fair prices – rather than letting their grapes disappear into anonymous large-house blends, they get to taste the finished wine. His winery, completed in 2023 in Landreville, enables gravity-fed vinification across two levels – gentle handling without pumps. A project that shows: you can make Champagne with soul even without your own vineyards.
The Cuvées: North, South and Single Vineyard Sites
The structure is compelling: BORÉAL unites north-slope Pinot Noirs, AUSTRAL the south-facing sites – both single varietal, both Kimmeridgian. For the Chardonnays there is Les Grandes Lignes from the renowned Portlandian lieu-dit Sorbée in Buxières-sur-Arce. And then there is the Les Passagers line – "the travellers": ephemeral single-vineyard Champagnes that exist only for a few vintages. Fiole, for instance, comes from Ville-sur-Arce, taut and saline with almond notes. If you appreciate growers like Olivier Horiot from the Côte des Bar, you're in the right place.