Leclerc Briant Champagne - The Abyss is here aged 60 meters below the sea for 11 months - KILLER Champagne!!
Some people wanted champagne and caviar when they should have had beer and hot dogs.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Those of you that have been getting my propaganda know that Champagne is my favorite wine! And I was so excited to hear that we were getting some of the latest and greatest from our friends at Leclerc Briant, a small champagne house that has been experimenting with aging their bubbles 60 meters under water off the coast of Brittany, France. This is a unicorn… a Champagne that is aged underwater? If you love Champagne you have to taste the Abyss!
Leclerc Briant is a trailblazing Champagne house producing wines of singular energy and nerve. Lucien Leclerc founded the winery with four hectares of vineyards in Cumières in 1872. The business moved to Épernay in 1955 when Bertrand Leclerc married Jacqueline Briant and formed the négociant firm which still carries their name. Leclerc Briant was an early adopter of organic practices beginning in the 1960’s and was one of the first to bottle single-vineyard Champagnes starting in the 1970’s. In the late 1980’s, Bertrand and Jacqueline’s son, Pascal, began integrating biodynamic principles and part of the production has been Demeter certified since 2003. Today, enologist Hervé Jestin continues the legacy of this visionary house.
The Abyss is here!
2019 Leclerc Briant Champagne Millesime Abyss Brut Nature
Price: $225.00 Your Price: $202.50 Quantity in Stock: 116
The Abyss cuvée is a precious Champagne by its origin, its assembly and by an underwater breeding vector of plenitude, heightening the good initial mineral reduction while concentrating the fruity richness of a generous vintage. The Abyss cuvee was specifically created for underwater aging in assocication with Amphoris, a company specializing in undersea projects. The grapes that compose Abyss is 33.3% Chardonnay, 33.3% Pinot Noir and 33.3% Pinot Meunier that are handpicked from select Champagne villages renowned for their specific chalk subsoil . These carefully chosen Terroirs are in perfect resonance with the marine sediment in the Bay of Stiff, located at the eastern tip of the ile d’Quessant, this wine was aged for roughly 11 months submerged under the sea (approx. 60 meters deep) off the coast of Brittany, France, imparting a distinct marine salinity. Released exclusively as Millesime, this extraordinary cuvee is the fruit of the Oceans’ power, memories, and affirmation of our bioengeretic winemaking.
2020 Leclerc-Briant Abyss Extra Brut Rose Champagne
Price: $285.00 Your Price: $256.50 Quantity in Stock: 120
The 2020 Leclerc-Briant Abyss Extra Brut Rosé Champagne is predominantly made from Chardonnay with a minor addition of Pinot Noir (typically around 85% to 92% Chardonnay and 8% to 15% Pinot Noir vinified as red wine or rosé).
Wine Watch Review: A beautiful pale salmon copper like color with a distinct briny character to the bouquet raspberry ad wild strawberry fruit compliment the orange and lime citrus aromas with an underlying chalky mineral tone to the nose. A lovely creamy texture on the tongue with wonderful freshness and tongue tingly minerality complimenting the bubbles with a slightly bitter finish that goes on and on into the marine salinity that is the Abyss. Finish 50+ KILLER!
This signature Leclerc Briant Abyss Rosé is aged for roughly 11 months submerged under the sea (approx. 60 meters deep) off the coast of Brittany, France, imparting a distinct marine salinity.
The champagne has a carnelian color with deep amber reflections. Its fine bubbles are lively and echo the sparkle of small waves on the beach.
Nose : A true sensory journey, the Champagne reveals its intoxicating tenderness through iodized notes that mingle with citrus and forest fruits. Violet, pistachio and cookie will intoxicate the most patient, delivering finesse, precision and fruity maturity.
Mouth : The Champagne reveals a finely creamy effervescence underlining the delicacy of the dry fruity matter which, associated with the marine salinity, gives it frankness and refinement.
Pairings : The vinosity of this generous vintage is a call to pleasure. It embodies the fusion of marine and telluric energies, bathed in the solar power of its fruity and gently floral substance.
A bit more about Leclerc Briant Champagne
Established in 1872 in Cumières and relocated to Épernay in 1955, the Leclerc Briant house is an iconic player in organic and biodynamic Champagne. A pioneer in these environmentally conscious practices, it has made its mark on Champagne history with its commitment to sustainability and terroir purity. Leclerc Briant champagnes stand out for their bold character, complex aromas, and unique ecological footprint.
Leclerc Briant
The Leclerc Briant house was founded in 1872 by Lucien Leclerc in Cumières, a historic Champagne village. The family’s stewardship continued through subsequent generations, notably with Bertrand Leclerc, who married Jacqueline Briant, merging their names to form the house’s identity. In 1955, the company moved its headquarters to Épernay, at the heart of Champagne.
By the 1960s, Bertrand Leclerc began transitioning to organic farming, making Leclerc Briant one of the pioneers of this practice in Champagne. In 2012, the house was acquired by American investors Mark Nunnelly and Denise Dupré, who brought fresh energy while respecting its foundational values.
The rest of the Champagne available from Leclerc Briant on SALE!!
NV Champagne Leclerc Briant Reserve Extra Brut, Epernay 9 Liter Salamazar
Price: $1500.00 Your Price: $1350.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
NV Champagne Leclerc Briant Reserve Extra Brut, Epernay 6 Liter Methuselah
Price: $975.00 Your Price: $877.50 Quantity in Stock: 1
NV Champagne Leclerc Briant Reserve Extra Brut, Epernay Magnum
Price: $172.50 Your Price: $155.25
NV Champagne Leclerc Briant Reserve Extra Brut, Epernay, France
Price: $60.00 Your Price: $54.00 Quantity in Stock: 7
Assemblage: 42% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Meunier
(92 Points) A lithe and graceful Champagne, with sleek acidity animating flavors of chopped raspberry, nectarine, preserved lemon and oyster shell. Fine and satiny in texture, offering a persistent, lightly spiced finish. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Disgorged February 2024. Drink now through 2029. 8,500 cases made, 250 cases imported. Wine Spectator
NV Champagne Leclerc Briant, Champagne Extra Brut Rosé
Price: $89.00 Your Price: $80.10
A bright pink hue, the NV Champagne Extra Brut Rosé is Extra Brut with 3.4 grams per liter dosage and was disgorged in June 2024. A bright pink, it’s fresh and fruity on the nose, with delicate aromas of pure strawberries, fresh flowers, and seashells that are pretty all the way through. Medium-framed and dry, it’s crispy and fresh on the palate, with a clean feel throughout. Lovely to drink it now or over the coming 10 years, this very refreshing and clean style delivers a lot of brightness and pleasure. — Jeb Dunnuck, Dec 2024
2012 Champagne Leclerc Briant, Champagne Grand Cru Brut Zéro Blanc de Blancs Château d'Avize
Price: $295.00 Your Price: $265.50 Quantity in Stock: 4
(96 Points) Smells fresh with lemon and soft floral scents. Delicate and refined, this is crips, sharp and piercing yet also layered and rich. Bitter lemon rind mixes with honeyed orange and some pie crust savoury elements to give real character. A little bit woody still, just peeking out, in contrast to the fruit, still showing its youthfulness. After a few minutes all the flavours seem much brighter in the glass, more evocative and expressive. Thrillingly precise, dry and crisp. Dosage 2g/L. Made from 100% grand cru grapes. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter
2018 Champagne Leclerc Briant, Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Millésime
Price: $150.00 Your Price: $135.00 Quantity in Stock: 5
(94 Points) Produced with 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and the rest Meunier, the 2018 Champagne Millesime Extra Brut was vinified and raised for 9 months in barrels. It sees 3 grams per liter dosage and was disgorged in March 2023. It pours a rich, youthful yellow hue and is forward in its expressive notes of toasted oak spice that are very assertive and joined by notes of toasted croissant, orange marmalade, white pepper, and ripe red berries. Full-bodied, it has a lush and pillowy mousse and a fantastic texture, filling the palate with ample fruit, a chalky texture, and a rounded and fleshy personality. Although at first it feels as if its oak is not well-integrated, it impresses me more as it opens and is approachable in its ripe fruit now. It’s long on the palate and is a very well-made wine, but I’d like to see how this harmonizes over time. Jeb Dunnuck
2018 Leclerc-Briant Le Clos des Trois Clochers Brut Zero Champagne, France
Price: $225.00 Your Price: $202.50
Leclerc Briant was an early adopter of organic practices beginning in the 1960’s and pioneered the concept of single-vineyard Champagne starting in the 1970’s. Fifth generation vigneron, Pascal Leclerc began to follow biodynamic principles in 1988, with part of the production Demeter certified since 2003. Today, enologist Hervé Jestin continues the legacy of this visionary house.
Ten hectares are divided between the Premier Cru villages of Cumières, Hautvillers, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Bisseuil in the Vallée de la Marne, Villers-Allerand and Rilly la Montagne in Montagne de Reims and the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil Sur Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Leclerc Briant also holds long-term contracts with another 8 hectares of biodynamically farmed vineyards.
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