Only keep wines you love with our Society's Promise
Free delivery on 12 bottles or orders over £75
Over 1300 wines handpicked by our buyers
A rare Champagne made from 100% pinot meunier planted in the 1950's by the current winemaker's grandfather on a small patch of chalk in Chavot. This has an expressive nose of mirabelle plum and salted lemons, a full-bodied palate, fresh acidity and a very long, mineral finish.
Product Code: CH3771
View all products by Champagne Laherte Frères
The Laherte estate was founded in 1889 by Jean-Baptiste Laherte. At this time, most of the five hectares of vines were situated in the village of Chavost. Today, the 10-hectare vineyard is run by the two Laherte brothers Christian and Thierry, as well as Thierry’s son, Aurélien.Their estate is spread over three clearly delimited areas. The southern slopes of Épernay with vineyards in the villages of Chavot, Épernay, Vaudancourt, Moussy, Mancy and Morangis, are planted with the three Champagne grape varieties. The premier cru sites of Vertus and Voipreux in the Côte des Blancs, planted with chardonnay and Le Breuil and Boursault in the Vallée de la Marne, planted with the pinot meunier. The patchwork of soils as a result of owning more than 75 parcels in ten different villages enables Laherte to make the most of their terroir. Their winegrowing techniques based on natural and dynamic practices; the vines nearest to the cellars are farmed biodynamically.The reason that the company is registered as a Negociant-Manipulant is due to the nature of the landholdings in the family and is a bureaucratic requirement. It seems that the members of the family, the brothers and their mother, each own a portion of the vines and the company Laherte Frères ‘purchases’ the grapes from the family members and therefore had to register as a producer which doesn’t own all its own vines. If they were registering today they would be able to name themselves as SR (societé de récoltant), but that designation didn’t exist at the time they originally registered.
Grower Champagnes are made by the same people that own the vineyards. They grow the grapes, produce the wine, bottle it and sell it. This may seem obvious but it is especially compelling in Champagne, a region dominated by the successful ‘Grandes Marques’ (or big brands) whose skill is in selecting and buying grapes from these growers. In an interesting spin of the system, many of these growers now prefer to do it themselves.The phenomenon of grower Champagnes has come about as a reaction against marketing hype and the perceived industrialisation of Champagne. These growers, who are passionate about their terroir, craft wines in limited quantities to reflect the natural features of their vineyard, in many ways like Burgundy. This individuality and personality can be particularly marked from growers who own desirable plots, such as those in grand cru vineyards in villages such as Avize, Aÿ, Bouzy, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Verzenay. Grower Champagnes tend to be made using more traditional methods: barrel fermentation, lower yields and, increasingly, a much more sustainable approach to farming.The Society has listed grower Champagnes for several years, most notably wines from Marc Hébrart, Marguet and Bérèche.
"It is an interesting wine, and I'm pleased to have tried my first solely pinot meunier champagne. However... I really wish the wine had undergone malolactic fermentation. As it hasn't, it is very lemony and acidic. So I admired it more than I enjoyed it."
"Nose is bruised apples, pears, freshly cut white paving stones (smelled this on the street when walking past some workmen a few weeks ago). Palate follows with lemon zest and charred lemon on palate, lime, a continuous toasty note that is hard to place exactly, but there is no doubt of the extended lees ageing. Serious finish on this and acidity that should keep this ageing well into the future. My guess on the less-than-obvious fruit characteristic has to do with with the 2013 vintage. It helps to open at least 4 hours in advance to let it open up. 5/5 for me based on the Quality to Price ratio."
I would recommend this wine
There are no press reviews for this product.
Log in to view notes
Sign up for a carefully-curated selection of recipes, guides, in-depth expertise and much more.
Our website uses cookies with the aim of providing you with a better service. By using this website you consent to The Wine Society using cookies in accordance with our policy.
By using The Wine Society website, you agree to cookies being used in accordance with the policy outlined below. If you do not agree to this, you must alter your browser settings to turn off cookies or block those types which are unacceptable to you or cease using the website.
The Wine Society uses cookies to enable easy navigation and shopping on the website. We take the privacy of all who use our website very seriously and ensure that our use of cookies complies with current EU legislation. The following guide outlines what cookies are, the types of cookies used on The Society's website and how they work.
You may alter your browser settings to turn off cookies or block those types which are unacceptable to you, but this will cause difficulties when accessing and using some areas of the site. Instructions on how to do this can also be found below.
4.4.1. What are 'Cookies'?
4.4.2. How do Cookies help The Wine Society?
Cookies allow our website to function effectively. Cookies also help us to arrange content to match your preferred interests more quickly. We can learn what information is important to our visitors, and what isn't.
4.4.3. How does The Wine Society use cookies?
The Wine Society does not accept advertising from third parties and therefore, as a rule, does not serve third-party cookies. Exceptions to this include performance/analytical cookies (see below), used anonymously to improve the way our website works, the provision of personalised recommendations, and occasions when we may team up with suppliers to offer special discounts on goods or services.
The Society uses technology to track the patterns of behaviour of visitors to our site.
4.4.4. What type of cookies does The Wine Society use?
We use the following three types of cookies:
4.4.4.1. Strictly Necessary CookiesThese cookies are required for the operation of our website, enabling you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies, services like shopping baskets or e-billing cannot be provided. Under this heading, we currently use the following cookies:
4.4.4.2. Functionality & Targeting/Tracking CookiesThese cookies are used to recognise you when you return to our website and to provide enhanced features. This allows us to personalise our content for you. Under this heading, we currently use the following cookies:
4.4.4.3. Performance/analytical cookiesThese cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don't collect information which identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works. Under this heading, we currently use the following cookies:
4.4.4.4. Authentication CookieIn order for us to ensure that your data remains secure it is necessary for us to verify that your session is authentic (i.e. it has not been compromised by a malicious user). We do this by storing an otherwise meaningless unique ID in a cookie for the duration of your visit. No personal information can be gained from this cookie.
4.4.5. How do you turn cookies off?
All modern browsers allow you to modify your cookie settings so that all cookies, or those types which are not acceptable to you, are blocked. However, please note that this may affect the successful functioning of the site, particularly if you block all cookies, including essential cookies. For example, In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools Menu, then go to Internet Options, then go to Privacy. Here you can change the rules your browser uses to accept cookies. You can find out more in the public sources mentioned below.
4.4.6. Learn more about cookies
4.4.7. Changes to our cookie policy
Any changes we may make to our cookie policy in the future will be posted on the website and, where appropriate, notified to you by email. Please check back frequently to see any updates and changes to our cookie policy.