Blanc d’Argile is Bertrand Gautherot’s Chardonnay from chalk-rich parcels in Buxières-sur-Arce (Côte des Bar), farmed biodynamically and picked by parcel for purity and tension. Native-yeast fermentations and élevage in older oak amplify texture without adding flavour; dosage is minimal or zero so the finish reads saline, dry and gastronomic.
Aromatics are taut and vivid: lemon zest, grapefruit pith and green apple over white flowers, crushed chalk and a faint almond-brioche nuance from lees. The palate is sleek and finely tensile—supple entry, a chalk-lined core, pinpoint mousse and a long, mouth-watering close that’s mineral rather than sweet. It’s Champagne for the table as much as the toast.
Serve at 8–10 °C in tulip flutes or small white-wine stems. Superb with oysters, sashimi, tempura prawns, ceviche, goat’s cheese, or delicate dishes like sole meunière—the wine’s saline cut and fine phenolics carry salt, fat and umami cleanly.
Drink on release for clarity and drive, or hold 2–5 years to gain a little honey, hazelnut and extra silk while the chalk line stays bright. Across disgorgements the signature is constant: Côte des Bar ripeness framed by Chablis-like mineral precision—Blanc d’Argile is Vouette et Sorbée at its most incisive.
