Etienne Calsac Champagne Blanc de Noirs Val l’Hermite NV

Etienne Calsac is one of the bright young growers of the Cote des Blancs, who in 2010 took over his grandparents’ three hectares around Avize and chased a childhood dream. He farms organically with cover crops and plowing, ferments spontaneously, and ages in barrel with a minimalist hand. Val l’Hermite is a rare single-parcel Blanc de Noirs, 100 percent Pinot Noir from a stony, fossil-rich south-facing slope he acquired in 2018, vinified and fermented in wood. Bottled with no dosage as a Brut Nature, it is bone dry and built on terroir, not sugar. A serious grower Champagne for the table.