Robert Barbichon, Champagne Brut Nature, NV

The Côte des Bar in the Aube is Champagne's southern frontier — cooler, more remote, and defined by Kimmeridgian limestone that shares its geology with Chablis. Robert Barbichon works this terroir in the grower tradition, farming estate fruit and bottling with no dosage (Brut Nature) for the most honest possible expression of the land. These Aube growers are making some of the most exciting small-production Champagne available today, and Barbichon's Brut Nature is an excellent entry into that conversation.