Laherte Freres Extra Brut "Ultradition" Champagne

Aurélien Laherte’s Ultradition non-vintage Extra Brut is composed from a cépages of sixty percent pinot meunier, thirty percent chardonnay and ten percent pinot noir. Sixty percent of the vins clairs are barrel-fermented, go through partial malo and the cuvée includes forty percent reserve wines. The current release is from the base year of 2018 and was given three and a half years aging sur latte prior to its disgorgement in September of 2022 and finished with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. The wine delivers a refined aromatic constellation of white peach, apple, bread dough, chalky soil tones and a delicate topnote of meunier flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and complex, with a lovely core, excellent balance and grip, refined mousse and a long, focused and classy finish. I love Aurélien Laherte’s wines and regret I do not get to taste the full range of his cuvées anymore.