If you think you know Champagne, the Aube is here to correct you. This once-“second tier” southern zone, closer to Chablis than Reims, is now ground zero for some of the most electric, terroir-first, dosage-free Champagne being made. And nobody is doing it with more quiet authority than Louise Brison.

This tiny, four-generation estate farms Kimmeridgian limestone—the same chalk that gives Chablis its spine—and bottles only single-vintage, zero-dosage, barrel-raised Champagne. No fluff. Just pure Aube identity in a glass: mineral, tensile, coiled, vibrant… the kind of wine that makes sommeliers turn their heads mid-stride and mutter: “Oh damn, that’s good.”

Today’s bottle, 2018 “A l’Aube de la Côte des Bar,” is the domaine’s north-star cuvée and a masterclass in restraint and power. It’s 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay, fermented and aged nine months in neutral oak (no malo!), then left on the lees for nearly five years before disgorgement—with zero dosage. The result? Champagne that feels carved out of chalk: citrus oils, green apple skin, quince, white flowers, crushed stone, subtle pastry, and a laser-etched saline finish that just keeps going.

This is Champagne for people who love Champagne as a wine, not as a logo. It’s what you open to impress your most jaded wine friends. It’s what you pour when you want Burgundy lovers to raise an eyebrow and say: “Okay, the Aube is for real.”

Why You’ll Love It 

• Chablis meets Champagne: Kimmeridgian limestone = electric minerality, linear precision, and that unmistakable chalk buzz.

• Zero-dosage, oak-vinified, vintage-only: A trifecta of grower-discipline almost unheard of at this price.

• Five years on lees, no malo: Texture and depth without losing the cut-your-own-glass edge.

How to Serve It 

• Ultra-cold? No. Serve around 48–50°F so the chalk and citrus can actually speak.

• Use a white wine glass—not a flute—unless you want to suffocate the good stuff.

• Food: Oysters, scallops, turbot, roast chicken, veal, Comté, or better yet Chaource—the local cheese from the same terroir.