Clandestin

Bertrand Gautherot and Benoit Doussot bring their combined experience to bear to produce complex, mineral champagne with grapes sourced from relatively cooler west-facing plots overlooking Buxières-sur-Acre.

Champagne Clandestin is a joint venture between Bertrand Gautherot of Vouette & Sorbée and his right-hand man, the energetic Benoit Doussot. Both are exceptionally experienced vignerons who know the terroir in and around the village of Buxières-sur-Acre like the back of their hand. 

Applying the Vouette & Sorbée philosophy

At Vouette & Sorbée, Bertrand earned fame for his sole focus on single-varietal vintage champagnes from single vineyards. Benoit, who is Burgundian born and bred, puts Bertrand’s philosophy uncompromisingly into practice. He shuns the use of reserve wines for dosage purposes, believing that this would only distort the pure, ripe, immaculate character of the fruit with which he exclusively works.

Cooler and off the beaten track

Clandestin means ‘hidden’ or ‘secret’ and refers to the source of the grapes: long-overlooked, west-facing plots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay situated above Buxières-sur-Arce. Southerly, easterly and south-east-facing plots have long been favoured in the Aube because they are bathed in more sunlight for a longer portion of the day. However, Clandestin’s wines are made exclusively from these cooler, west-facing vineyards.

All of these sites are farmed organically and according to biodynamic principles (Ecocert-certified). The exacting standards for which Vouette & Sorbée are known also apply to Clandestin.