Champagne Laherte Freres Blanc de Blanc Nature NV

Description

Young Aurélien Laherte farms all of his family’s vines biodynamically or organically. Since joining the family’s estate back in 2002 and taking over full control of the vineyards and the cellars from 2007 he has taken things to another level to become a benchmark grower with wines that brim with character and distinction. They have an astonishing 75 parcels of vines to make up 10 hectares mostly scattered across the hills south of Épernay in Chavot and Coteaux Sud and tiny holdings in the Cote de Blancs and the Marne Valley . Through microscopic attention to detail, hand harvesting and exemplary wood based élevage, Laherte has put this part of Champagne well and truly back on the grower map.   All of his wines are naturally fermented with wild yeast with no additions and are hand disgorged with very low dosage.

Chardonnay. Disgorged April 2024. This mineral-charged Champagne is 100% Chardonnay from the family’s chalkiest soils in Chavot and Épernay. These vineyards are biodynamically farmed, and the soil is rich in chalk and chalky clay (marl), with pockets of flint and schist. The chalkiness drives the wine’s striking, racy and intensely saline minerality—that energy, freshness and zingy, citric line—while the clay balances fruit weight and texture. The recent addition of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs Premiers Crus of Vertus and Voipreux has only lifted the remarkable quality. Built on perfectly ripe fruit, this bottling is based on the excellent 2021 vintage, with 50% reserve wines from the two previous years. As the name suggests, it’s bottled without dosage.

Aged for just over two years in bottle following primary fermentation in barrique, foudre and tronconique cask, like all Laherte’s Champagnes, this cuvée is disgorged by hand. More than ever, it’s stunning value for those who love purity and minerality in their Blanc de Blancs. Now released with an additional seven months in bottle, the new disgorgement is a wonderfully sculpted Champagne, sizzling with tension and penetrating focus. Please note, the review refers to a previous base vintage.

93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous “Laherte’s NV Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs is one of the great under the radar wines in Champagne. It marries precision, tension and depth. Citrus peel, crushed rocks, mint, dried flowers and white pepper race across the palate. The Blanc de Blancs is a Champagne of tremendous stature and class that blends the best attributes of sites in Epernay and the Côtes des Blancs. Best of all, it’s an insane value. No dosage.”

RRP $153  *Our Special Price $109.99 – VERY LIMITED!