Laherte Freres Ultradition Extra-Brut Disgorged July 2024, Champagne

Base 21, Disg. Jul 2024

The NV Extra Brut Ultradition is a very pretty, gracious wine consisting of a blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir from eight vineyard sources. Perfumed floral and spice notes give the Ultradition lovely brightness to match its mid-weight, notably vinous personality. Orchard fruit, chamomile, dried herbs, mint and crushed rocks are all wonderfully expressive, if a bit light. This is an especially nuanced edition.

90 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com

Dubbed “just impeccable, especially within its peer group” by Galloni, Laherte’s Meunier-led ‘entry-level’ Champagne is from eight different parcels across the Coteaux Sud d’Épernay and Vallée de la Marne. The blend of 60% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir represents the diversity of the estate’s plantings. Some 40% of the blend these days is drawn from the two preceding vintages.

The juice naturally ferments in a mixture of vessels, including two 50-hectolitre Rousseau tronconique casks, old barrels, foudre and concrete. Regardless of vessel, the wines are always aged on lees, and there is partial malolactic conversion (around 60-70% on average). Based on the 2021 vintage with 40% reserve wines from 2020 and 2019, this bottling was disgorged with a dosage of 4.5 g/L (extra brut).

Laherte Frères Ultradition Extra-Brut is a beautifully crafted grower Champagne that captures the vibrant energy and terroir expression of the Côteaux Sud d’Épernay. Laherte Frères, founded in 1889 and now run by Aurélien Laherte, is one of Champagne’s most exciting grower-producers, known for its precise, low-intervention approach and its commitment to showcasing vineyard character. Ultradition Extra-Brut serves as the estate’s flagship cuvée, a finely tuned blend that balances generosity, freshness, and chalky minerality.

In the glass, Ultradition Extra-Brut has a bright straw colour with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose is expressive yet precise, with aromas of crisp apple, pear, lemon zest, white flowers, and almond pastry, layered over subtle chalky minerality. The palate is vibrant and balanced, with orchard fruits and citrus framed by a creamy, leesy texture and a taut mineral backbone. The low dosage allows the purity and salinity of the terroir to shine through, leading to a long, elegant, and refreshing finish.

This Champagne is superb as an aperitif and pairs beautifully with oysters, scallops, sashimi, grilled fish, or goat’s cheese. It’s also excellent alongside lightly spiced dishes or charcuterie. While delicious now for its freshness and detail, it can evolve gracefully over 3 to 5 years, gaining further brioche and nutty complexity.