Benoît Déhu Cuvée de La Rue des Noyers Non-Dosé Extra Brut - 2011 Base NV

Chamomile, dried herbs and wet chalk open things up, with a lean, focused core of pale orchard fruit underneath. Persistent bead with a flinty, stony edge that underscores the zero-dosage austerity. From the Rue des Noyers vineyard, this is taut and purposeful, but the 2011 base is beginning to show its age as the fruit retreats and a gentle vegetality takes hold. Drink now rather than later.