Tucked into the southeast corner of Champagne is the Aube, which in the last 20 years has emerged as one of the single most fascinating spots for distinctive and exciting Champagnes. The undisputed spiritual godfather of the region is Bertrand Gautherot, a man who, when you visit, will take you first to meet his "marketing department..." his herd of cows. (In a land where big Champagne houses have budgets for yachts, this is kind of a thing.) Vouette & Sorbée blew up in the early 2000's, when collectors began to notice that this "farmer" (he works organically and biodynamically) was making more covet-worthy bottles than anything they were stowing away in their cellars. Fidèle — named for the faithfulness with which it expresses its places of origin — is pure Pinot Noir from Bertrand's Vouette vineyard, planted on the same fossilized oyster-laden marl that it shares with Chablis. This is a wine of mineral pleasure, but there's also toast and generous fruit on the nose, some vanilla and baked apple crumb richness on the palate. It's a pure piece of loveliness, worthy of its marketing department.
