notes de dégust - USA

Comme tous les ans, notre ami et importateur New-Yorkais ( Michaël Feuerstein ), offre quelques flacons du domaine à John Gilman.

Voilà donc pour les anglophiles, pour ceux que cela intéresse, les notes de dégustations :

Laherte Frères “Les Clos” Extra Brut

This is the Extra Brut single vineyard bottling from Laherte Frères that I wrote about last year that is made from all seven grape varieties that are permitted to be planted in Champagne. The bottling is not made from old vines, as it was only planted over to cuttings taken from other vineyards that Laherte owns in 2003, so I fully expect that this very, very good wine to only improve as the vines gain in maturity. The blend is a very unique mix of fourteen percent pinot noir, eighteen percent chardonnay, eighteen percent pinot meunier, seventeen percent pinot blanc, ten percent fromenteau, eight percent arbanne, fifteen percent pinot meslier- with the last three grapes quite archaic in their use in Champagne. The new release of Les Clos is excellent, as it offers up a deep and complex nose of apple, lemon, tart orange, stony minerality, bread dough and citrus peel.

On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and long, with brisk acids, refined mousse, and excellent length and grip. A beautifully poised bottle of Extra Brut that will be really hitting on all cylinders with a couple of years in the cellar. 92+/100

2005 Laherte Frères Extra Brut “Les Vignes d’Autrefois”

The Laherte Frères Extra Brut “Les Vignes d’Autrefois” is a hundred percent pinot meunier cuvée that is finished as an Extra Brut and always vintage dated. The 2005 is a really superb example of this drier style and offers up both more mid-palate depth and more vibrancy on both the nose and palate than the very good 2004 version of this bottling. The bouquet offers up an excellent mélange of apple, tart orange, sourdough bread, a touch of rye seed, great minerality and a nice topnote of citrus zest. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with bright acids, fine mousse and outstanding length and grip on the bright and youthful finish. I would give this excellent wine a couple of years to really start hitting on all cylinders. 93/100

Laherte Frères Brut Tradition NV

The Brut Tradition from Laherte is a wine that relies stylistically on yeast autolysis tones on both the nose and palate, and this may not be a style that is to everyone’s tastes. But the aromatic and flavor complexity here is certainly admirable, and the underlying minerality is quite good as well. The nose is a complex blend of bread dough, wheat toast and other yeasty notes, a hint of bread fruit, wet stone minerality and a bit of citrus peel in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and soil-driven, with good mid-palate depth, bright acids, ever so slightly coarse mousse, but impressive length and grip on the finish. This is a very well-made bottle in its style, with the structure clearly to age well. 90/100

Laherte Frères Brut Rosé NV

The Laherte Frères Brut Rosé non-vintage is a really lovely bottle of Rosé that offers up an absolutely beautiful, pale salmon color and a first class and complex bouquet of orange, wild strawberries, bread dough, chalky minerality, a hint of cinnamon and a delicate floral topnote of dried roses. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and bright, with fine focus and mid-palate depth, pinpoint bubbles and very good grip on the snappy, long and minerally finish. This is a lovely bottle of Brut Rosé that is drinking beautifully out of the blocks and should age gracefully for at least the next dozen years.

There remains just a touch of youthful austerity on the tail end of the finish today that suggest that a twelve month stay in the cellar might pay handsome dividends. Fine juice. 91/100

Laherte Frères Rosé Saignée “Vieilles Vignes” Extra Brut NV

This old vine cuvée of Rosé from Laherte Frères is comprised of one hundred percent pinot meunier and the new release is quite lovely. The bouquet offers up a complex and exotic aromatic blend of orange, watermelon, warm biscuits, lovely soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and well-balanced, with elegant mousse, good mid-palate depth, sound acids and respectable length and grip on the finish. Last year’s version seemed just a touch longer on the backend than this year’s, but this is a lovely bottle of Rosé that should drink beautifully for the next decade. 90/100