Clandestine means kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.

Everyone loves being in on a secret, which is exactly how we felt when we "discovered" the newest wine from Bertrand Gautherot, the winemaker for... Read More

Clandestine means kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.

Everyone loves being in on a secret, which is exactly how we felt when we "discovered" the newest wine from Bertrand Gautherot, the winemaker for one of our favorite champagne houses: Vouette et Sorbée.

At first, Bertrand’s rigorous biodynamic farming made him an oddity in the Aube, a region where most farming had been industrial, yielding huge quantities for the large Champagne houses. But Bertrand’s mastery of the local terroir, and the incredible results of his chemical-free regime, led neighbors to ask for his help.

Now Gautherot and his assistant, Benoit Doussot, have taken advantage of those relationships to begin Champagne Clandestin. All Clandestin’s fruit comes from organic vineyards grown on Kimmeridgian soil. The winemaking is natural, like at Vouette et Sorbée.