Cléobuline Chapitre 2 Brut Nature 2020

Julie Dufour is the sister of Charles Dufour and daughter of Françoise Martinot. After a short excursion away from the world of wine, she returned to Landreville on the Côte des Bar in 2012 to produce her special champagnes on just 4 hectares. Planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, part of the harvest is sold and the other part is used to produce a rare 6000 bottles of champagne.

Contrary to the Cleobuline, the second chapter, Chapitre 2, is not an assemblage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but a pure Chardonnay from the single vineyard "Les Ormes". While chapter one still had a few grams of residual sugar, chapter two is Brut nature, i.e. bone-dry.

Strong straw yellow with a steady perlage.

On the nose, the 2020 Cléobuline Chapitre 2 Brut Nature from Julie Dufour is invitingly red-fruity Red-cheeked peaches, a sliced Rubinette apple, pink grapefruit, honeydew melons and mirabelle plums fill its fruit basket. Complemented by toasted bread, nut butter and a salty, iodised character, it is reminiscent of oyster shells, salted hazelnuts, toast and green almonds. Complex and multi-layered, it quickly makes you salivate.

The first sip is characterised by a refreshing, fine-pearled mousse that is aromatically underpinned by roasty, yeasty notes. The crumbly fruit is salty, balanced and contoured by fine tannins, which give it a firm grip and a slightly porous feel. With fine tart spice and leafy tannins, it is aromatically profound with a dark character and persistent finish