Laherte Freres Extra Brut Les Grandes Crayeres 2016
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Robert
Parker
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This wine put in advance the particular and complex Terroir of Les Coteaux Sud d’ Epernay : a few plots have soft soils and the Campanian Chalk is present at 20 cm. In 2014,the winery team decided to vinify separately and create a new single vineyard cuvee to present these Chardonnay with finesse and relief.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a 3.5-hectare parcel, the 2016 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Grandes Crayères opens in the glass with notes of green apple, citrus zest, white flowers and fresh herbs. Medium to full-bodied, ample but chiseled, it's chalky and austere, with an uncompromising spine of acidity and a long saline finish. While it will flesh out with time on cork, I preferred its immediate predecessor, the 2015. Rating : 92+
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The fifth generation, that of Michel Laherte, expanded the family estate which then covered about 5 hectares. He married Cécile Tissier, who was born into an 8-child-family. She quickly got used to working in the vineyard and managed to combine her work as a dynamic vinegrower with the education of her two children, Christian and Thierry.
Today, the 11-hectare-vineyard is run by the two Laherte brothers, as well as Thierry’s son, Aurélien. Since 2004, the seventh generation has been giving a new dimension to the estate. Indeed, following in his father’s footsteps, Aurélien understood that the estate’s true philosophy lies in taking time to do things well and being satisfied with naturally ripe and healthy grapes.
Today, all the family members are working hand in hand to preserve this precious Terroir passed on by their forefathers and to try and create wines that are just like them - pure, sincere and authentic.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’