Clandestin Les Semblables Boreal Blanc de Noirs 2022

Les Semblables Boréal 2022 is one of the clearest ways to understand Clandestin’s approach. The wine is a Blanc de Noirs made entirely from Pinot Noir, but its identity is not simply varietal. Within the Clandestin range, Boréal is associated with north-facing sources, while Austral provides the corresponding south-facing expression. Exposure is therefore part of the organising idea of the cuvée. That makes the 2022 release particularly useful for buyers interested in site-led Champagne. The vintage is explicit and the grape composition is complete: 100% Pinot Noir. Those two facts give the bottle a precise identity without needing to rely on broad house-style language. Clandestin itself is a Côte des Bar négociant project created by Benoît Doussot in 2015 and based in Landreville. Rather than beginning with a large inherited estate, the project developed through close work with growers and parcels across the Aube. The source of the fruit is therefore central to the way the wines are presented, and the range has increasingly been organised around origin, geology and exposure. Boréal sits at the heart of that philosophy. Its interest comes from narrowing the frame: one grape, one vintage and a clearly defined exposure concept. The matching Austral bottling offers the obvious comparison, but Boréal stands perfectly well on its own as the north-facing Pinot Noir expression. For someone choosing within the Clandestin range, this is the bottle to reach for when Pinot Noir and the project’s north-facing source idea are the main attraction. Chardonnay-led wines such as Les Revers move in another direction, while the Triologie and Les Passagers series go further into geological or parcel-specific detail. Les Semblables Boréal 2022 therefore works as both an introduction and a reference point. It captures Clandestin’s modern, origin-conscious approach in a form that is easy to understand: 2022 vintage, 100% Pinot Noir, and a cuvée whose identity is deliberately tied to the northern exposure of its source.