Vouette & Sorbée - Champagne 'Sobre' Brut Nature 2014

Tucked into the southeast corner of Champagne is the Aube, which over the past decade has emerged as a source for some of the region’s most distinctive and exciting Champagnes.

While the Aube’s emergence has been very recent, the seeds for its flowering were planted in 1986, when the area’s spiritual father, Vouette & Sorbée’s Bertrand Gautherot, began tending his vines in the village of Buxières-sur-Arce.

But it was not until 2001 that Gautherot actually bottled his first domaine Champagnes, capturing the attention of collectors and launching the Aube on its ascendence.

Throughout his long career, Gautherot has been, first and foremost, a grower. It says much about him that the first thing he shows visitors is his cows, which he jokingly refers to as “his marketing department.” He keeps them both to cultivate biodiversity and as part of his commitment to natural viticulture.

Bertrand’s dedication to terroir is deep; as he told Peter Liem, “the culture of the vine is my passion.” It led him to biodynamic certification for his domaine in 1998. That so many of today’s leading Aube growers tend their wines naturally is largely due to Gautherot’s example.

Yet, Bertrand ultimately sees these farming methods as a tool and not a religion: “You don’t drink a wine because it’s biodynamic, you drink it because it’s good.” And Gautherot’s are not merely good, but great—these are Champagnes of intense character, deep and complex, with unique aromas and flavors.

Another rarity, Sobre debuted in 2005 and is Bertrand’s experiment in making a pure, late-disgorged Chardonnay. Off the record, this wine is made with no liqueur de tirage addition, meaning the wine sees no yeast or sugar additions at all. It is also crafted without the use of sulphur. The methodology for the secondary fermentation remains a secret! What we can say is that in great years for this estate—of which 2014 was one—Gautherot pieces together a single barrel of his finest Chardonnay for extended lees aging. Following 100-plus months sur lattes, this was disgorged by hand in October 2023.

Producer: Vouette & Sorbée

Country: France

Region: Champagne

Varietal: Chardonnay

Appellation: Champagne

Vintage: 2014

Size: 750ml