Les Passagers “Haut de Val Barmont” Brut Nature 2023

Wine description for Les Passagers “Haut de Val Barmont” Brut Nature 2023 by Clandestin

Colour & appearance

Pale lemon yellow, accompanied by a fine, lively mousse – clear and youthful in the glass.

Nose

Fragrant and expressive: white blossoms, fresh herbs, a hint of pale tea. Beneath, citrus zest and a slightly pippy note. Astonishingly dense and complex for its youth.

Palate

Delicate woody hints meet a spicy trace of cumin, before intense citrus fruit takes over: lemon zest and lemon curd combine freshness with fine creaminess. Without dosage, the wine appears cool, angular and straightforward – a Blanc de Blancs of great clarity.

Finish

Long, linear and with palpable tension – the saline minerality of the limestone soil carries it far.

Terroir & origin

Côte des Bar, the southern part of Champagne – geologically closer to Chablis than to Reims. While the north of the region rests on young chalk, the vines here stand on Kimmeridgian marl and Portlandian limestone from the Jurassic period, rich in fossilised seashells. It is precisely this heritage that lends this Chardonnay its taut, saline line.

Grape variety & vinification

A pure Chardonnay, harvested by hand. Spontaneously fermented, then aged for 15 months in wooden casks – Benoît Doussot, who trained under Jean-Philippe Fichet in Meursault, relies on larger vessels to keep the wine slender. Following the second fermentation in bottle, disgorged without dosage in September 2025: Brut Nature in its purest form.

Food recommendations

The citric tautness and saline depth call for the sea: oysters, turbot ceviche, foie gras terrine as a contrast, or simply mature Comté.

Special features

Part of the Les Passagers series – “the passers-by”: plots whose grapes are not permanently under contract. This cuvée may well have been produced only once, in tiny quantities. Behind it stands a micro-négoce with conviction: Doussot buys exclusively organic grapes and supports growers in their conversion to organic viticulture.