Laherte Frères Petit Meslier Extra Brut
£125.16 (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / North Ireland
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based on the 2018 vintage, with some 40% reserve wines from 2017, the NV Extra-Brut Petit Meslier comes from young vines in Chavot. Offering up generous aromas of pear, honeyed orchard fruit, buttered toast and nuts, it's medium to full-bodied, with an impressively satiny attack for this variety and an unsurprisingly racy spine of acidity. It's more than just a curio.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
12.5%
Grapes
Serving
Between 8ºC and 10ºC
Winemaking
Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged on lees in French oak barrels for 6 months. Complete malolactic fermentation, addition of 40% of reserve wine for the second fermentation in bottle with a minimum ageing of 36 months and disgorged by hand with a final dosage of 2 g/l (Extra Brut).
Description
When Aurélien Laherte decided to replant Petit Meslier - a variety that is practically extinct in Champagne - he did so out of a mixture of viticultural romanticism and a commitment to biodiversity. This ancient grape, the result of a cross between Gouais Blanc and Savagnin, has historically been marginalised for its difficulty in the vineyard, but it is precisely this rebelliousness that makes it a unique vehicle for terroir expression. Laherte Frères, steadfast in its philosophy of minimal intervention and respect for nature, has opted for it to tell another version of Champagne: rougher, more precise, more lively.
The vineyards were planted in 2014 and 2018 on the middle slopes of Chavot, on the southern slopes of Épernay, on clay-loam soils resting on soft chalk. A setting that brings restrained ripeness, marked minerality and electric tension. Everything in this Champagne speaks of the place.
Winemaking
The Laherte Frères Petit Meslier Extra Brut is harvested by hand, selecting grapes at their optimum ripeness. Pressing is traditional and the must is transferred by gravity to barrels, where it ferments spontaneously. Malolactic fermentation is allowed and a light bâtonnage is carried out during six months of ageing on the lees. A 40% reserve wine adds layers of complexity. After the second fermentation in the bottle and a rest of 24 to 30 months on the lees, disgorgement is carried out manually. The final dosage is just 2 g/L: Extra Brut without make-up.
Taste
The expression of Laherte Frères Petit Meslier Extra Brut is incisive and electrifying. On the nose, notes of cider, elderflower, green apple and a faint echo of wild grass. The bubbles are very fine, almost surgical. On the palate, the attack is direct: rhubarb, fresh almond, lime, with a background of wet chalk. The acidity is tense, saline, and sets a vertical rhythm to a long, herbaceous, slightly bitter finish.
A radical Champagne, sculpted in stone, which does not seek to seduce but to provoke. Ideal for those who prefer edge to comfort and crudeness to indulgence.
Laherte Frères Petit Meslier Extra Brut : a jewel for taste explorers.
Shipping to North Ireland
50% discount on orders over £351.64Estimated transit time: 4-5 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over £351.64 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | £11.34 | £5.67 (-£5.67) |
| 7-12 | £15.38 | £7.69 (-£7.69) |
| 13-18 | £21.54 | £10.77 (-£10.77) |
| 19-24 | £29.45 | £14.72 (-£14.72) |
| 25-30 | £34.20 | £17.10 (-£17.10) |
| 31-36 | £38.24 | £19.12 (-£19.12) |
| 37-42 | £46.15 | £23.08 (-£23.08) |
| 43-48 | £50.55 | £25.27 (-£25.27) |
| 49-54 | £57.10 | £28.55 (-£28.55) |
| 55-60 | £61.36 | £30.68 (-£30.68) |
| VAT included | ||
Appellation Map
Laherte Frères Les Grandes Crayères Blanc de Blancs 2020
£93.08
£88.45/ud (-5%)
