From the atlas
Champagne Gautherot
Grower Champagne from Celles-sur-Ource in the Côte des Bars, built around family vineyard plots and cuvées ranging from Pinot Noir led Brut Nature Zéro to vintage Blanc de Blancs.
At A Glance
| Region | Champagne |
| Village | Celles-sur-Ource |
| Main grapes | Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc |
| Signature wine | Brut Nature Zéro |
| Defining feature | Grower production from family vineyard plots |
The Producer
Champagne Gautherot was established May 17, 1978. Champagne Gautherot is a grower producer with a portfolio of Brut Nature Zéro, Grande Réserve, Exception, Notes Blanches, Millésime, Carte d'Or and Rosé. The house works from family vineyard plots, with the bottles separated by grape composition, reserve wine, dosage and vintage.
Place
Celles-sur-Ource lies in the Côte des Bars, in southern Champagne. Grande Réserve carries red fruit described as typical of the Côte des Bars, alongside citrus and orange tones. Chardonnay brings a fresh note beside the Pinot fruit in the same cuvée.
Soil And Site
Kimmeridgian clay limestone soils underlie the vineyard. The ground formed from marine sediments 145 million years ago. Clay can hold moisture, while limestone can improve drainage and support freshness during the growing season. These materials give the vines a soil that balances water retention with drainage.
Story
André Gautherot created Grande Réserve, and three generations have refined the cuvée. The wine remains a named house bottle alongside Brut Nature, Extra Brut, vintage, Rosé and Blanc de Blancs wines. Its history sits in a cuvée that has passed through three generations of Gautherot winemaking.
Vineyards And Cellar
Grande Réserve contains 10% old wines from a perpetual Solera and receives partial oak ageing. A Solera keeps reserve wine in circulation by blending older material into newer lots, while oak ageing adds oxygen and can bring toasted notes.
Brut Nature Zéro ages between 30 and 40 months. Lees ageing in sparkling wine can soften the mousse and add savoury depth, while the long cellar period gives the bubbles time to integrate.
Wines
The portfolio moves from the dry Brut Nature cuvée to Grande Réserve, the reserve wine, and then to Exception and Notes Blanches, both Extra Brut bottlings. Notes Blanches occupies the Blanc de Blancs and vintage part of the range. Millésime, Carte d'Or and Rosé complete the cuvée list.
In The Glass
Brut Nature Zéro has a fresh, expressive nose of quince, raspberry and cherry. Grande Réserve shows a pale gold robe with warm luminous reflections and a creamy mousse of fine, delicate bubbles. Its nose brings jasmine, hawthorn, red fruit, citrus and orange. On the palate, vineyard peach, quetsche plum, sweet spice, toasted and smoky notes meet Pinot fruit and Chardonnay freshness.
Exception shows pale gold yellow with gold grey and gold white reflections, with subtle bubbles forming a fine cord. Mirabelle, apricot, vanilla, light spice and biscuit lead into yellow fruit, honey, butter and toast. The attack is fleshy, and the finish carries white fruit and light citrus.
Notes Blanches opens with acacia and white flowers, followed by pear, apple and licorice. Its palate brings acacia, vineyard peach, white lily and mineral notes, with substance, volume and a delicate white fruit character.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Brut Nature Zéro. It is made from 80% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Blanc, with zero dosage. The proportions put Pinot Noir at the centre while the two white grape varieties add a smaller part to the cuvée. Grande Réserve takes its shape from reserve wine, while Notes Blanches is built around a vintage Blanc de Blancs.
Anecdote
In 1957, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay vines were planted in a Gautherot parcel. Those vines are now the oldest on the property and form the source of Notes Blanches, the house's vintage Blanc de Blancs. The cuvée keeps the two white grape varieties together under a single vintage label and carries an Extra Brut designation. The planting year remains attached to the bottle through the parcel's age, the grape varieties and the vintage marking. Notes Blanches is the cuvée linked to that 1957 vineyard.
Final Word
Champagne Gautherot is a grower producer in Celles-sur-Ource with family vineyard plots, Kimmeridgian clay limestone soils and cuvées separated by grape composition, reserve wine, dosage and vintage.
Sources
- https://www.champagne-gautherot.com/fr
- https://www.champagne-gautherot.com/fr/la-gamme?gamme=brut-nature
- https://www.bottl.fr/producteur/champagne-gautherot-516/
- https://www.champagne-gautherot.com/fr/la-gamme?gamme=grande-reserve
- https://www.champagne-gautherot.com/fr/la-gamme?gamme=exception
- https://www.champagne-gautherot.com/fr/la-gamme?gamme=notes-blanches