For four generations, the Fluteau family has been crafting wines from their estate vineyards and original winery in the charming village of Gyé-sur-Seine. Today, Jeremy Fluteau oversees winemaking, while his sister Adeline manages administration and sales. The Fluteau style blends time-honored techniques with the latest technological advances, creating a spectacular portfolio of small-production cuvées. Jeremy Fluteau is a practical winemaker, focused on reacting to, preventing, and minimizing the challenges faced by Champagne growers each season. Despite his stoicism, the wines he produces are expressive and delightful to drink, striking an impeccable balance that makes them truly under-the-radar gems.

Over the past few decades, the Côte des Bar has grown into a hub for innovative Grower Producers who are redefining Champagne. Fluteau, a peer among these avant-garde producers, also played a pioneering role in the region. Before 1927, this area wasn't even recognized as Champagne, thanks to the 1911 classification that excluded the entire Aube region. This forced local producers to label their wines as "Champagne deuxième zone," essentially "second-class Champagne." When the major houses of Reims finally agreed to include the region, they deliberately withheld Grand Cru or Premier Cru status from the Côte des Bar vineyards and villages. They viewed it as a mere source for blending fruit, believing no great wine could truly be produced there… but they were clearly profoundly mistaken!

This 92-point Symbiose bottling is a precise and poised cuvée, blending 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay. Primary fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats prior to aging on the lees for an impressive seven years minimum. The lightly golden wine offers an elegant and charming aromatic profile: fresh cream, daisies, and green papaya. On the palate come more of the same pretty notes, alongside crunchy green pear and dusty chalkboard. The finish is long and precise, uplifted by bright, salty seaspray and a tingly, minerally edge. This compact, vinous wine benefits from aeration in Burgundy bowls for optimum enjoyment – a savory wine with both delicate and powerful elements, proving to be a tremendously fun ride. My advice? Get as many as you can possibly muster!