Étienne Sandrin À Travers Celles 360°

Grape: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Blanc
Region: Côte des Bar, Champagne, France
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Brut Nature / Extra Brut depending release
Style: Sparkling
ABV: 12%

A vibrant, mineral Champagne from Celles-sur-Ource in the Côte des Bar, built around Pinot Noir with a splash of Pinot Blanc. Fresh pear, citrus and crunchy orchard fruit meet delicate florals, spice and a chalky, saline finish. It’s dry, energetic and beautifully precise, with fine bubbles and plenty of tension.

Étienne and Anne Sandrin took over the family domaine in 2006 and began producing their own Champagne in tiny quantities rather than simply selling their fruit. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2014 and biodynamically since 2018, with the goal of letting individual sites speak as clearly as possible.

À Travers Celles translates to “through Celles,” referring to the different vineyard sites surrounding their home village of Celles-sur-Ource. The 360° on the label takes that idea even further, tracing a journey around the village and its vineyards.

And that 20% Pinot Blanc is worth noticing. It’s one of Champagne’s permitted grapes, but you see dramatically less of it than Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Meunier. In the Côte des Bar, particularly around Celles-sur-Ource, it has managed to hang on.

Champagne with a sense of place, a rare grape and absolutely no interest in being flashy.