The Story
One lieu-dit, one grape, one year. This is Laherte's home-field advantage. Les Grandes Crayeres sits in Chavot, the family village south of Epernay, and was planted entirely to Chardonnay back in 1983. The name is a tell: deep chalk under a thin skin of clay and sand, which is where the tension comes from and why the wine still has flesh on it. Aurelien Laherte has bottled it as a vintage cuvee every year since 2014, always Extra Brut, always low on dosage. The 2021 is racy and chalky, white grapefruit and lemon out front, with a biscuity hazelnut-and-shortbread depth sitting behind. A blanc de blancs with sharp elbows. Bring an appetite.
Description
One lieu-dit, one grape, one year. This is Laherte's home-field advantage. Les Grandes Crayeres sits in Chavot, the family village south of Epernay, and was planted entirely to Chardonnay back in 1983. The name is a tell: deep chalk under a thin skin of clay and sand, which is where the tension comes from and why the wine still has flesh on it. Aurelien Laherte has bottled it as a vintage cuvee every year since 2014, always Extra Brut, always low on dosage. The 2021 is racy and chalky, white grapefruit and lemon out front, with a biscuity hazelnut-and-shortbread depth sitting behind. A blanc de blancs with sharp elbows. Bring an appetite.
