Champagne loses volume after disgorging, i.e., the removal of residual yeast after bottle fermentation. This must be replenished, and traditionally this is done by adding “liqueur d’expédition,” or shipping dosage. This is a liquid that usually contains a lot of sugar. It gives the champagne a certain sweetness that determines its style. This makes it easier for inexperienced consumers to get started. Around the beginning of the 1980s, pioneers began to systematically refrain from adding sugar. Champagne Laurent-Perrier produced its first Ultra Brut in 1981 – certainly also a reference to the invention of nouvelle cuisine at that time. At the same time, winemaker Jean-Mary Tarlant presented his first Zéro champagne. His argument: no sugar is added to Chablis either. However, there were also prominent dissenting voices. Sugar is important for stability in old age – an argument that is still valid today.
Louis Roederer + Starck Brut nature Blanc 2018
For Maison Louis Roederer, founded in 1776, 2003 was a turning point. In fact, it was the first year in a series of unprecedented hot vintages. To date, these have occurred with increasing frequency, most recently in 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2022. That year, the idea arose to produce a champagne in Cumières on the banks of the Marne that was unlike anything Roederer had ever made before. After years of experimentation, the cuvée was finally produced with the 2006 vintage.To highlight the extent of the disruption, the house began a collaboration with designer Philippe Starck. To this day, he is responsible for the visual appearance of the cuvée, which has since grown into a series, including several facelifts. Starck breaks with the visual codes of Champagne because the champagne itself is breaking new ground. The decision to produce a brut nature is therefore not a question of rounding off the portfolio at Roederer. It is part of a concept.
This is because the champagne comes from one of the hottest locations in the Marne Valley and is only produced in hot years (after 2006, also in 2009, 2012, and 2015, also as a rosé). It is, so to speak, the result of Roederer’s “future lab” to anticipate the effects of climate change. The origin is strictly local, coming from a single contiguous 10-hectare area of vineyards in the commune of Cumières. The biodynamically cultivated plots are planted with a “mixed set” of grape varieties. In 2018, for the first time, a good 1 percent of grapes from Pinot Blanc vines sourced from Champagne Fleury were added to the classic grape varieties (the exact blend is not disclosed). Partial fermentation in barrels with natural yeasts, followed by 12 months of aging on the fine lees – with blocked malolactic fermentation. A slightly lower amount of liqueur de tirage, which results in only 5 instead of 6 bar pressure during bottle fermentation and a gentler perlage. And no dosage after disgorging.
Gosset Champagne Zéro Dosage
Presenting the first zero dosage cuvée in 2025 is not particularly original. The “delay” in the case of Gosset, whose roots as a wine trading house date back to 1584, is due to the very special style of the house. This is because Gosset champagnes are never aged in wooden barrels, nor do they undergo malolactic fermentation. The base wines therefore initially have a lean structure with very distinctive acidity. This is balanced by a long to very long bottle fermentation, which transforms the perception of malic acid into an impression of pronounced saltiness. Without dosage, however, the necessary balance was lacking in the past. As with Roederer, the decision was made to age the base wines on the lees for a long time in order to create the necessary texture. The first cuvée relies on base wines from the 2013 vintage (62% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir), which finally began bottle fermentation at the end of spring 2015. Ten years later, it was disgorged and bottled without dosage.
Dosage Zéro is therefore also a vintage champagne, but one that has spent five years longer on the lees than its counterpart. Of course, the 2013 and 2018 vintages are as different as night and day: while 2018 was a hot vintage, 2013 was one of the last classically cool years of the past decade, with a long growing cycle and a harvest in October. However, it is not a single cru like Roederer’s Brut Nature, but an assemblage. Gosset mentions Ambonnay, Avize, Bouzy, Cumières, Cramant, Villers-Marmery, and Rilly la Montagne, among others. And Chardonnay dominates, in contrast to the red grape varieties that probably predominate in Champagne from Cumières (in 2012, its blend was 55PN|25PM|20Ch). In any case, both houses take very elaborate approaches to their Brut Nature or Dosage Zéro champagnes. No wonder that both bear the title of “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” (Living Heritage Company), an honor they share only with Bollinger in Champagne.
The tasting
It is not easy to understand Roederer’s Brut Nature 2018. The Maison itself describes it as “delicate,” “very harmonious,” and “fruity.” Philippe Starck, on the other hand, uses the words ‘honest’ and “minimal.” That’s certainly closer to the mark, because it’s an incredibly young champagne that is currently sparse and almost a little rustic. Very light in the glass, with stone fruits, apples, citrus, and almonds on the nose. The acidity makes it seem leaner than it is, yet also pure, long-lasting, and with a salty finish. Improves with exposure to air. A champagne that still needs a lot of time (92+p.). The Gosset Zéro also reveals apple aromas (Granny Smith!), along with some “dry” honey. Above all, however, it displays the entire citrus spectrum, from zest to lime tart. This continues concisely on the palate, but here it is combined with an enormous saltiness. Quite dense and precise, but also a little “eccentric.” A lot of wine here at a fair price (92–93p).
Thanks to climate change, zero-dosage champagnes can be excellent today. This has also been demonstrated by many tastings at Sur-la-pointe, most recently that of Champagne Mandois. However, they are anything but the “new normal.” If you also block the conversion from malic to lactic acid, you need a coherent concept. Both Roederer and Gosset have one. Those who want off-the-shelf champagne will certainly not be happy here. These remain wines for individualists.
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Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
