Extra Brut, St. Louis’ first champagne-only lounge, to open in Clayton

“There will be no other beverages offered, just bubbles,” owner Whitney VinZant says of Extra Brut, the speakeasy-style champagne lounge opening to the public in Clayton on August 4. “There are wine bars everywhere, but not many places—even across the country—that focus exclusively on champagne. It’s an underserved part of the wine category.”

The address was the former home of Area 14 Lounge & Sushi, the mysterious, sign-free lounge at one time operated by Tani Sushi Bistro. When Tani moved around the corner, to 7726 Forsyth, Louie’s Wine Dive took over the existing space (minus Area 14) when it opened just over a year ago.

VinZant owns all eight Louie’s locations, but this is his first champagne bar. “It’s novel and refreshing and something I’ve wanted to do for a long time," he says. "People need more exposure to champagne.” (To be technically correct, only sparkling wines from France’s Champagne region can legally be called champagne, even though the term is now commonly used when describing any sparkling wine.)

Patrick Olds—Louie’s corporate wine director, general manager of Louie’s in Clayton, an advanced sommelier (one of six in St. Louis), and champagne aficionado—agrees. “Many of these wines are mind-changing and world-changing to me,” he says. “Our goal here is to make them as accessible as possible.”

While it’s not as wacky as PDT (Please Don’t Tell), the NYC speakeasy that’s accessed via a phone booth within a hotdog shop, the entrance to Extra Brut is subtle: a cursive EB on a weathered wood door.

Guests enter via a long white brick hallway, one side lined with 19^th-century French wall sconces, the other with custom-made wooden riddle racks, similar to the racks used for storing and riddling (turning) champagne bottles during fermentation. “We’ll eventually fill the racks with empty bottles,” VinZant says “We may even ask guests to place their empty bottle in the rack as they leave, something to look for on their next visit.”

The hall leads to and through a 200-year-old Hungarian gate, by two brightly colored champagne display boxes, a small banquette, and a glossy white oak-topped bar.

The main room is accented with natural brick. It contains three triple-stuffed booths and the same number of 8-foot, quartz-topped tables. Total number of seats: 55. Extra Brut is simple, uncluttered, and uncomplicated.

If the iron light fixtures and rustic brick walls don’t conjure a wine cellar, then the French Heritage barrels and barrel chandeliers certainly will. In one corner is a tiny stage for an acoustic musician (or three).

The six-seat bar is compact and utilitarian. The back bar is as clean as a good champagne’s finish and devoid of any bottle clutter. In their place, a single gun-metal hutch holds only glasses in one style. “When drinking sparkling wines in a flute,” Olds explains, “the bubbles are maintained, but there are no aromatics. Drink champagne from a coupe; the nose is there, but the bubbles dissipate too quickly. The Inalto glass from Bormioli allows you to appreciate both.”

Also on the back bar is a small ceramic top broiler used to finish oysters cooked four ways ($14 for six, $25 for a dozen):

• Charbroiled: topped with proprietary cheese and Creole bordelaise
• Bienville: topped with shrimp, bacon, crimini mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and green onion
• Rockefeller: stuffed with spinach, garlic, cream, shallots, and Parmesan and finished with Pernod
• Kathryn (a signature at Arnaud’s in New Orleans): stuffed with baby artichokes, garlic, and Parmesan

To the side is a raw bar, filled with colossal gulf shrimp (six to eight count, the big boys, five for $15) and an assortment of oysters flown in daily from the East, West, and Gulf coasts. The only non-seafood items are 540-day-aged prosciutto with fresh fruit, goat cheese crostini, and caramel kettle corn. (No, that's not a misprint). "People can't believe that some of the best food pairings for champagne are salty foods like french fries, potato chips, and popcorn," Olds says. But it's true."

Using Louie’s buying power, Olds is able to source sparklers from all over the world, which is why VinZant anticipates that Extra Brut will have one of the best champagne menus in the Midwest. The 50ish-bottle selection hails not only from France and the United States, Olds says, but also from Germany, Austria, South Africa, England, Italy… Bottles (see the opening list here) are priced from $42 to $600. There will be two by-the-glass selections available every night as well, but the focus at Extra Brut is clearly on bottle service.

“Our team of certified somms knows a lot about sparkling wine,” says Olds, “enough that you can trust them guiding you into unfamiliar territory, which champagne is for a lot of people.”

There are three ways to secure a seat at Extra Brut: ßalk in and take your chances; use the NoWait app; or buy a $25 VIP Ticket (pre-sold online) that provides immediate entry, a reserved seat, and a glass of champagne.

Extra Brut is open only on Friday and Saturday nights, but the space can also be reserved day or night for private events (which are catered out of Louie’s kitchen). “One reason we structured it that way,” says Olds, “is so people can experience champagne, really good champagne, at a reasonable price.”

VinZant echoes Olds’ sentiment: “We know we’re trying something new here. We figured out a way to make our passion accessible to as many St. Louisans as possible, and we’re excited about it. Champagne is the most versatile food pairing beverage there is—so much more than what athletes pour on their teammates’ heads after they win a national championship.”