Organic. 60% Meunier, 40% Chardonnay. The single-vineyard cuvée ‘Arpents Rouges’ is one of Nowack’s more progressive cuvées, where pushes the boundaries of his own winemaking; vinification is done entirely in small barrels with a combination of spontaneous yeasts and selected yeasts from a friend or two in the Jura (transported in lees like a mother). The vineyard site is planted at the bottom of the Vandières slope, hence the bolded ‘Bas-côteau’ on the label. Vines are between 70-80 years of age. Soils are heavier clay on top of grès, a specific sort of limestone you’ll see in the Jura and Alsace. Nowack takes a particular interest in this site, as he mentions it’s very difficult for the vines to grow here with all the stones; berries on the vines are always tiny. Historically the vineyard was used to produce still red wine, hence Les Arpents Rouge. In this release, all fruit is from harvest 2020; RS 7 g/L. The base wine is unfined, unfiltered, and unsulfured; secondary fermentation is triggered with natural grape must. Aging is done in small oak barrels. An extraordinary wine, uncommon in Champagne: nose and palate with red and golden fruit tones, lots of power, and enduring salinity. Echoes of red wine here are amply clear. The prise de mousse is done with grape must and the wine is usually bottled without sulfur. The resulting wine is umami-rich in character and utterly fascinating.