Laherte Fr?res - Petit Meslier Extra Brut NV (750ml)
Price: $149.99
| Producer | Laherte Fr?res |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Varietal | Petit Meslier |
| Sku | 203248 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Wine Advocate: 90 Points
The NV Extra-Brut Petit Meslier (2020 base), disgorged in December 2023 with two grams per liter dosage, includes 40% reserve wines from 2019 and 2018. It hails from a 0.3-hectare, east-facing site of young vines planted in 2014 in Chavot-Courcourt, where marl overlays chalk. Offering scents of jasmine, green pear and brioche, it is medium-bodied, with a crisp core of fruit, racy acidity and a long, saline finish. Though it underwent malolactic fermentation, the variety's inherently high acidity and low pH remain assertively evident, lending the wine an incisive, tightly wound character.
Aurélien Laherte took direction of this important estate in the village of Chavot-Courcourt, in the Côteaux Sud d'Epernay, in 2005. Of the 13-hectares he manages, part of the vineyards are family-owned, with the remainder farmed under long-term contracts. Additionally, he supplements the estate’s production with grapes sourced from another seven hectares, collaborating with growers in determining optimal harvest dates. Altogether, the estate produces some 200,000 bottles annually.
Step by step, he's moved toward organic viticulture, albeit without certification. He candidly acknowledges that in certain vintages—such as 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024—the disease pressure was too intense to avoid stronger treatments without compromising the crop. Laherte is experimenting with cover crops and higher canopies and replanting heritage varieties, and he recently—in 2024—modernized the winery facilities. Some vineyard parcels are cultivated using horses, while others are farmed mechanically.
The vins clairs are fermented primarily in oak barrels (accounting for around 70% of the total volume), with the remainder in stainless steel tanks or concrete vats (used for tailles). Maturation typically spans seven months in 228-liter barrels—approximately 300 of which are housed in the cellar—sourced secondhand from Benjamin Leroux of Beaune and Jean-Marc Pillot of Chassagne-Montrachet. Reserve wines are aged in large wooden foudres. The final cuvées are dosed with MCR (concentrated and rectified grape must) and sealed under Diam Mytik closures, of which Laherte was an early adopter. Malolactic fermentation may or may not take place, depending on the wine.
These are chiseled, characterful wines, founded on thoughtful farming, and they represent fine values in the world of grower Champagne. They will appeal to those with a high tolerance for acidity and appreciate a laser-sharp, incisive style.
