Collection: Champagne Beneath the Atlantic – Leclerc Briant Abyss

We are pleased to offer two of the most fascinating cuvées from Champagne Leclerc Briant: Abyss 2019 Blanc and Abyss Rosé 2020.

Abyss was born from a remarkable observation: in 2010, bottles of Champagne recovered from a Baltic Sea shipwreck after roughly 170 years were found remarkably well preserved. For Leclerc Briant, it raised an intriguing question – could the ocean itself be used as a form of élevage?

The answer became Abyss. After several years of traditional cellar aging, the bottles are placed in steel cages and lowered approximately 50 meters beneath the Atlantic, in the Bay of Stiff off Ouessant, Brittany. There, they spend around 11 months in near-total darkness, at a remarkably stable temperature, under roughly six times atmospheric pressure and in constant movement from the tides.

For winemaker Hervé Jestin, this is more than a curiosity. He describes the process as “permanent dynamisation” – the continuous movement of the sea keeps the wine in motion rather than allowing it to settle in a static cellar. The result is intended to create a different expression of the same wine: finer tension, integrated texture and a pronounced saline, maritime character.

Abyss 2019 Blanc – $185
An equal blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, the 2019 spent approximately 46 months on its lees before being immersed in the ocean. With no traditional cellar environment during its final élevage, the wine combines the richness of the 2019 vintage with citrus, orchard fruit, chalky minerality and a striking saline finish.

Abyss Rosé 2020 – $240
Built around Chardonnay with Pinot Noir vinified as a red wine, the Rosé brings greater fruit and vinosity while retaining the signature maritime character of Abyss. The 2020 was given approximately 44 months on lees before its underwater immersion, making this a particularly rare and unusual Rosé Champagne.

What makes Abyss particularly compelling is that the ocean is not simply used as a place to store the bottles. Pressure, darkness, temperature and constant tidal movement are deliberately incorporated into the élevage. It is a fascinating intersection of Champagne tradition, biodynamics and experimentation – and one of those bottles whose story is almost as compelling as what is inside it.