It is not just a marketing operation, the aging of wine in the sea has received growing interest in the recent years and today, although it remains a niche trend, it represents a consolidated method for many producers both in Italy and abroad, convinced in the potential of this system from an oenological point of view.
First of all, the immersion depth generates pressure from the outside towards the inside, on the bottle cap, which improves the aging process. The constant temperature and stable currents contribute to the balance and harmony of the wine, just as the absence of light preserves its integrity and tasting harmony. On a sensorial level, the marine sediments present on the bottles evoke characteristic mineral notes, leaving to the wine freshness and iodine notes; it is the fusion of marine and telluric energies.
When we talk about Champagne at the bottom of the sea we are referring to real underwater cellars made up of a set of cells in which the bottles are placed and then immersed in the seabed.
Among the historic producers of Champagne who are experimenting with aging in the sea we find the Maisons Leclerc Briant, Veuve Clicquot, Drappier and Frerejean Freres, who through simple fortuitous circumstances or visionary creativity of the Chefs de Cave have chosen to test this practice, also inspired by recent discoveries of wine bottles in excellent condition in sunken ship wrecks.
In July 2010 there was a discovery of a shipwreck sunk in the 19th century off the coast of the Aland Islands, in the Baltic Sea, contained a treasure of over a hundred bottles of wine, including 47 Champagnes signed Veuve Clicquot dating back to 1840. The extraordinary recovery has allowed the start of important analyzes by the Maison regarding the effects on the wine of the conservation in the sea, at an organoleptic level in comparison to the bottles kept in the Crayères, the historic owned cellars. The exceptional quality of the wine found gave the start to the project called "Cellar in the sea", an underwater conservation program for over 200 of the Maison's Champagnes.
100 bottles of Yellow Label and 50 Magnums of the same type, 100 bottles of Vintage Rosé 2004 and 100 bottles of Demi-sec, all already degorged and immersed at a depth of 43 meters right in the seabed where the old bottles were found, with a constant water temperature at 4°C without currents. This ambitious project, lasting 50 years and involving tastings every 4 years, aims to study the impact of these particular storage conditions on factors such as the volume of the bottles, the percentages of red wine and the influence of sugar on aging, with a comparison with the same Champagnes kept in the "terrestrial" quarries of the Maison in Reims.
The first tastings highlight how the Champagnes that age on the seabed are fresher and younger, with a bouquet with citrus notes and less body on the palate compared to the bottles stored in the cellars which on the contrary have achieved greater olfactory and gustatory complexity.
When Hervé Jestin, a winemaker specialized in biodynamics, took on the role of Chef de Cave of the Maison Leclerc Briant in 2012 with Frédéric Zeimett as General Director, the Company has introduced important innovations. The most significant concerns the creation of an underwater cellar with 1500 bottles of Champagne immersed for aging at a record depth of 60 meters in the Atlantic Ocean. The project called "Abyss", in collaboration with the Amporis company, began with the 2013 harvest and is today present on the market with the 2017 and 2018 vintages, demonstrating that it is a successful experiment. The grapes selected for the creation of these Cuvées come from vineyards of calcareous soils in harmony with the marine sedimentary subsoil where the bottles age, in particular the chosen area is located in Stiff Bay on the island of Ouessant, in Brittany.
Champagne Abyss Millésime 2017 by Maison Leclerc Briant is the blend of Meunier grapes (40%) from Vrigny vineyards, Pinot Noir grapes (40%) from Avenay-Val-d'Or vineyards and Chardonnay (20%) from Bisseuil. Result of the 2017 harvest, this Champagne Millésime was bottled in July 2018, disgorged in July 2021 and placed on the ocean floor in September of the same year. The bottles, in extremely limited quantities, were recovered in July 2022 after 11 months submerged. A rich and intense Champagne with extraordinary freshness, the nose is mineral with slightly iodine and chalky notes that meet the fruity aromas of peach, apple and rhubarb and vegetal notes of verbena, chamomile and jasmine tea. After a few moments, notes of lime, licorice, citrus, almond and rose are released. The taste is clean and fresh with a delicate and creamy perlage. Full and round, Champagne Abyss displays delicious acidity and minerality and concentrates the fruity richness of a generous vintage. Same concept of underwater aging also for the Champagne Rosé Abyss Millésime 2018, same blend of Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the 2018 harvest. Bottled in July 2019 and disgorged in July 2021, the Champagne Abyss was placed on the ocean floor in September of the same year, with 10 months of immersion in the depths of the sea. A cuvée with citrus and iodine notes in perfect harmony with the creamy palate with refined salinity. A one-of-a-kind champagne.
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