Champagne Laherte Frères Les Empreintes (Disg. Dec 2021) 2016

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

This wine offers what Laherte refers to as the “quintessence of the Chavot terroir.” It is always a selection of Laherte’s five best barrels from each of his two finest Chavot terroirs: old-vine Chardonnay from a site in Les Chemins d’Épernay (planted in 1957 on clay with chalky subsoils, with around a third of the fruit being the rare Chardonnay-Muscaté); and Pinot Noir from Les Rouges Maisons (planted in the late ‘80s on a deep soil rich in clay, flint and schist). Both wines were vinified separately and entirely raised in old Burgundian barrels, including portions fermented in second-hand DRC Le Montrachet barrels. The dosage was four grams per litre.

There is genuine depth and texture from the old vines and the clay of Les Chemins d’Épernay but this opulence is vibrantly balanced by crystalline freshness and a long, classy finish. A superb and unique Champagne that clearly speaks of its terroir. If you love great white Burgundy, then this has a similar set of textural and mineral qualities.

About Laherte Frères

The ripples created by the young Aurèlien Laherte, since he joined his family’s Estate in 2002 have now grown into fully fledged waves. Since he has taken full control of the vineyards and the cellars (from 2007) this 30 year old’s ever more distinctive, characterful wines have been calling us, like Homer’s sirens, to the lesser travelled slopes south of Épernay. In recent times the temptation became too strong to resist.

The wines of Laherte Frères bring something unique and delicious to our suite of grower Champagne.

In the Vineyard

Based in Chavot in the Coteaux Sud d’Épernay (slopes to the south of Épernay ), where most of their vines are situated, they also have some parcels in other villages of the Coteaux Sud area as well some tiny holdings in the Côte des Blancs and the Marne Valley. In total they have some 10 hectares broken up into an amazing 75 parcels.

The distinctive, geologically complex terroir of Chavot and the Coteaux Sud d’Épernay in general is very different to the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims areas where our other growers are based, and the style of wine is creamier and with more fruit generosity (to generalise). It’s a deliciously textured and yet racy style of Champagne that quite adds another string to our Champagne bow.

The vineyard practices at Laherte Frères are impressive. Most of the Estate is biodynamically farmed with the exception of those vineyards that are too far away to do so (mainly those in the Côte des Blancs and the Marne Valley). These latter sites are still managed organically, with the soils cultivated and no herbicides or pesticides used.

In the Winery

The high standards continue in the cellar. Aurèlien uses the traditional Coquard wooden Champagne presses. He has two of these (very unusual for an Estate of this small size), which allows him to press more quickly and also to keep small parcels separate. The wines are moved only by gravity. Fermentation occurs with natural yeast and more than 80 percent of the wine is fermented and matured in large foudres and old barriques (many 10+ years of age), as all Champagne once was pre the 1950s. Interestingly Aurèlien buys barrels from Benjamin Leroux (small world!), the Liger-Belair family (of la Romanee fame) and DRC.

Working with oak has a number of advantages including giving the grower the ability to have all of their different parcels fermented and matured separately. This focus on terroir expression, the use of traditional barrel ageing to help the wines express themselves, the meticulous viticulture along with the unique terroir of the Coteaux d’Épernay, are the keys to understanding these expressive and delicious wines.

Where in the World is Laherte Frères?

Laherte Frères is in the village of Chavot-Courcourt, Côteaux Sud d’Épernay.

The map below shows the main sub-regions of Champagne

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From left to right Champagne vineyards by Soil Type, Aspect and Dominant Varietal

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Soil Types

Vineyard Aspect

Map showing dominant varieties planted in Champagne