Clandestin Les Grandes Lignes Brut Nature

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The inaugural Clandestin NV Brut Nature Les Grandes Lignes is a 100% Chardonnay from a single, south-facing parcel on shallow Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soils in the Aube. Entirely harvested in 2015, it was barrel fermented (in demi-muids) and kept on the first lees for ten months and the second lees until January 2018. This is a fascinating Champagne whose dusty/mineral purity reminds me of steely, lean Chablis. The straw-golden colored wine displays clear, fresh and intense flavors of ripe, concentrated white and yellow-fleshed fruits intertwined with lemon juice, sweet brioche and earthy-mineral notes, maybe even a touch of iodine. Medium-bodied yet intense and tight on the chalky-textured palate, this is a very delicate, pure, lean, fresh and elegant but also firmly structured and persistently mineral Blanc de Blancs. The persistent finish is stimulatingly pure and salty and is still tightly woven, but it’s also chalky and full of tension, soul and terroir expression. With an iodine taste and lush concentration, the 2015 Les Grandes Lignes should be great with fish and seafood, but it is an excellent aperitif as well. It can be enjoyed young, but it should be able to mature very well over the next 5 to 7 years. It’s a fascinating wine for wine geeks who prefer a leaner, mineral, almost steely style. Tasted May 2018.

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