2018 Champagne Leclerc Briant, Abyss, Brut Zéro

The first vintage of Leclerc Briant’s Abyss was in 2012. The cuvée takes its name from its unique ageing: it is stored 60 metres under the sea off the coast of Brittany for up to a year. Leclerc Briant considers this the ideal environment for the maturation of Champagne, devoid as it is of oxygen and light. Prior to submersion, the wine was aged for 10 months in second-fill oak barriques quietly sourced from some top estates in Bordeaux.

Abyss is always Leclerc Briant’s most intriguing cuvée, but the stunning 2018 is one of the finest they have released. The nose blends floral and white-peach aromas with a savoury and mineral edge. The palate is zesty and refreshing with a vivacious energy and tension running through it. A gentle salinity on the palate is interwoven with a purity of fruit derived from winemaker Hervé Jestin’s terroir-driven approach. This is a prestige-cuvée Champagne like no other, perhaps with its finest vintage yet.

Henrietta Gullifer, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd