Flavien Nowack - Champagne 'S.A.' Extra Brut NV

 In the village of Vandières, near the middle of the Marne Valley and on its northern side (Rive Droîte), lives a Champagne vigneron whose ever-evolving work rotates around a number of fascinating details: sable and marl soils, good old vines of Meunier, native ferments and extended élevage for vin clairs, low or no sulfur additions for the same, long aging on lees before release, tirage done with a succeeding year’s juice…

There’s so much to say about Flavien Nowack and his drive for excellence. He is smart as can be, kind, and of superior ability with these process-intensive but terroir-driven wines. His bottlings deserve aging, for what it’s worth: Flavien himself says his ideal length of time is something between five to seven years post-disgorgement (and that’s after his ideal five years on the lees in bottle, at least). Nowack is only ten or so years in, and after several years of being fortunate enough to work with these wines, we think we know what the next ten years will bring. We’re really pleased to offer out our small piece of Nowack’s work for this year.

‘S.A.’ stands for ‘Sans Année,’ or non-vintage. Base 2020, with 10% reserve wines blended in (vintages 2012 to 2019). The vineyards are selected to be a reflection of Flavien’s home village. Vinification is with both spontaneous yeasts as well as selected strains from the estate; all aging is done in oak barrels and vats. Dosage 1g/l.

Type: Sparkling
Producer: Flavien Nowack
Varietal:  60% Meunier, 40% Chardonnay
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Farming: Organic