France Inter cites the nude vintage

WE'RE GOING TO TASTE - FRANCE INTER

Dominique Hutin's favorites

• Champagne, a new map

🍾 A new map for this iconic vineyard?

Yes, provided that it is not approached in terms of geography: with the exception of a relatively recent expansion, the delimited production area is subject to only rare changes.

We will therefore consider it from an environmental perspective, since today this northern region has learned to spell "Bio," to pronounce "Biodynamic," and is even starting to welcome a few "Natural Method Wines." To be fair, these technical approaches are more difficult to implement here than elsewhere in a vineyard with a sometimes conflicting relationship with the weather.

This new landscape is also taking shape in terms of taste. Or rather, "organoleptic" characteristics, as they say, with the jargon of specialists in hand. Goodbye to dosages (of sugar) used to round out wines destined for cocktail parties and sugary desserts. Wines with "extra brut" dosage (or no dosage at all) are now commonplace, offering wines in their purest form, as close as possible to their frank and direct expression. The graphic design also contributes to renewing the landscape. In this new way of telling their story, labels feature less gold and excessive embellishments, opting instead for a different, fresher, more poetic, and unconventional aesthetic.

Finally, in terms of the people involved – both men and women! – the generational shift has been in full swing, bringing with it a host of new ideas, with more natural, sometimes more creative winemaking techniques, similar to those found in the world of still wines. Aging in amphorae, using the solera system, and adopting a "zero sulfite" approach are enlivening Champagne just as they have shaken up still wines elsewhere.

Young guard and new approaches free from the "Prestige" or "Tradition" cuvées, are influencing the style of the wines and broadening the horizon of Champagne.
For and more liberated wines.

• Champagne Notebook - New Vintages