Disgorged April 2022. This exceptionally fine Blanc de Noirs is drawn from the prized lieu-dit of Les Rouges Maisons, sited on the mid-slope of the Chavot hill. The Pinot Noir vines here were planted in 1983 on a deep soil rich in clay, flint and schist. The wine was made from a single four-tonne press of grapes, which fermented naturally and matured in old Clos des Epeneaux and Leroux barrels.

Aged for 18 months sur lattes (in bottle on lees), this 2019 vintage was disgorged in November 2022 with just 2 g/L dosage. The acidity is firmer here than the Meunier Blanc de Noirs (Vignes d'Autrefois), with a chewy austerity typical of limestone in Champagne. Regardless, it is fine and poised on the palate with impressive balance, racy freshness and fine chalk-infused bitters that drive a long, sapid finish—an outstanding Blanc de Noirs.

Disgorged November 2022. Aurélien’s premium rosé is 100% old-vine Meunier from a biodynamically managed vineyard named Les Baudiers in Chavot, Coteaux Sud d’Épernay. That’s not a typo, by the way; the first vintage of this wine bore a misprint on the label, and the name Les Beaudiers has been used ever since. The vines were planted in 1953, 1958 and 1965. The vineyard lies on the lower slopes of Chavot, where the bedrock is hard limestone with topsoil made up of silex and clay. The occasional vine of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Fromenteau can also be found in the vineyard. It’s a powerful terroir that can ripen Meunier to full maturity—so much so that Aurélien’s father used to make a red wine from this area.

The fruit was destemmed and left to macerate for 14-16 hours on skins, followed by natural fermentation in old oak barrels and maturation on lees (in the same barrels) for a minimum of 12 months, with no malolactic conversion. After aging in bottle on lees for four years, the wine was disgorged by hand with around 2-3 g/L. Aurélien seeks a vinous and textured Rosé de Saignée from this potent terroir, but also one with delicacy and lift.

Disgorged November 2022. After the Brut Nature, this stunning Champagne is Aurélien Laherte’s second Blanc de Blancs bottling. Les Grandes Crayères showcases Laherte’s two most chalky, mineral soils in Coteaux Sud d’Épernay (crayères means chalk). These parcels of 40-plus-year-old mass-selection vines are situated on a west-facing hillside composed of Campanian chalk under 20cm of topsoil.

The base wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts in old barrels (aged three to 10 years) and didn’t go through malolactic conversion, emphasising the wine’s chiselled qualities. It then spent 30 months on lees in bottle and rested a further nine months after disgorgement before release. The dosage was less than 4 g/L, and it was disgorged by hand.

Disgorged November 2022. Les Longues Voyes translates as ‘the long way’, referring not only to the 25 kilometres that you need to travel from the Laherte estate to arrive at the vineyard but also to the wine’s extended aging: 18 months in barrel and a further 18-20 months in bottle.
The fruit is sourced from a single hectare of biodynamic vines in Chamery, Montagne de Reims, owned by a good friend of Aurélien Laherte’s. The 35-year-old vines are rooted in clay and silt over a limestone base. The wine was made from a single four-tonne press of grapes, which fermented naturally and matured in old Clos des Epeneaux and Leroux barrels. There was no malolactic conversion, and the dosage was 4 g/L.
So, the estate now has two vintage Blanc de Noirs released at the same time: Les Vignes d’Autrefois from Meunier and Les Longues Voyes from Pinot Noir. The first comes from a chalky subsoil and the second from limestone, and it is fascinating to compare the different structures that result. Fans of Pinot Noir on limestone should move to the front of the queue.

Disgorged November 2022. 100% old-vine Pinot Meunier. Les Vignes d’Autrefois (‘vines of another time’) is made from a single four-tonne press of grapes from old vines planted between 1947 and 1964. These grow in several chalky terroirs in Chavot and Mancy. The sites in Chavot (La Potote and Les Rouges Maisons) sit on deep clay and silt soils, with a presence of flint and small stones. In Mancy are Les Hautes Norgeailles and Les Bas Putroux, where the vines are rooted in clay soils over chalk.
Viticulture for these sites is entirely biodynamic. As well as referencing the age of the vines, the name also refers to the fact that these vines are all massal selections (i.e. non-clonal). There is even a soupçon of ungrafted vine material scattered throughout these vineyards. Aurélien uses old Burgundy barrels for aging (including some sourced from Montille and Leroux), and there was no malolactic conversion. The wine aged for seven months in barrel, followed by 30 months on lees in bottle.
The very low dosage of 3 g/L allows the iodine minerality of these chalky terroirs to sing. This is emblematic of the quality at Laherte today and reflects the fruit’s tension and low-yield intensity. It offers a wonderful balance between penetrating, spicy, fleshy red fruit and salty, racy deliciousness—one of the great Meunier bottlings of Champagne.

Disgorged October 2022. This is one of the most distinctive wines made in Champagne—a super-complex, fleshy and savoury (peppery, nutty) wine that is as delicious as it is fascinating. Les 7 is a single-parcel field blend from a plot in Chavot, planted by Thierry Laherte in 2003 to make use of the heirloom vines of Fromenteau, Arbanne and Petit Meslier already growing within the family’s oldest vineyard plots. The addition of Chardonnay and Pinots Noir, Meunier and Blanc have made a unique co-planting of Champagne’s seven permitted grape varieties.

The varieties were harvested and pressed together, and all fermentations were spontaneous. The wine was produced using a perpetual (or continuous) reserve stretching back to 2005. Each year, the blend is roughly 60% of the new-vintage wine (2020 for this bottling) with 40% of the reserve—so this release spans the harvests of 2005 to 2020. If you’re interested in Champagnes with genuine personality, this is a wine not to be missed. Disgorged by hand with no dosage.