2006 Champagne Tarlant, La Vigne d'Antan, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Nature
About this WINE
Champagne Tarlant
Located in the Marne Valley of Champagne, the Tarlagne family’s involvement in winemaking dates back to the early 18th century, making them one of the oldest families in the Champagne region. The estate was officially founded in 1687 and has been passed down through generations, with each generation contributing to the family’s winemaking legacy.
The winery is situated in the village of Œuilly in the Vallée de la Marne, part of the broader Champagne appellation. The Marne Valley is known for its diverse terroirs and is particularly suitable for cultivating Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes.
Champagne Tarlant is known for its commitment to traditional winemaking methods and sustainability. They emphasise minimal intervention in the vineyard and the cellar, using organic and biodynamic practices to cultivate their grapes. The estate focuses on expressing the unique terroirs of their vineyards in their Champagnes.
The family owns and manages vineyards across various terroirs within the Champagne appellation. They primarily grow the traditional Champagne grape varieties, including Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. Production includes a wide range of cuvées, including non-vintage (NV) Champagnes, vintage Champagnes, and special cuvées.
Blanc de Blancs
In Champagne, the term Blanc de Blancs designates Champagnes made only from Chardonnay grapes. The vineyards located between Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger in Côte des Blancs yield the best examples of the style.
A classic Blanc de Blancs is restrained and elegant when young, yet with ageing it develops a mouth-coating brioche richness that overlays an intense expression of fruitiness. Blanc de Blancs are endowed with longer ageing potential than a typical Blanc de Noirs.
Recommended Producers: Salon, Billecart Salmon, Jacques Selosse, Dom Ruinart, Krug, Le Mesnil Grand Cru, Guy Larmandier
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
This Blanc de Blancs is made from a single plot of the only ungrafted Chardonnay vines in Champagne. These survive on very sandy soils in Oeuilly, behind the winery. The name "Antan" means essentially "yesteryear", a reference to the historical significance of the vineyard and this special Champagne. The organic fruit was hand-harvested, gently pressed and wild fermented in inox, before aging in French oak barrique. The wine was then left on its lees for 15 years before release. This is a taste of history and the extraordinary. Savoury, fine, yet powerfully vinous, a champagne like no other.
Davy Żyw, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
I was pleased when tasked with writing this tasting note, as it the standout wine from the entire tasting! This is a unique Champagne in the fact that it is "non greffée"—from 100% non-grafted vines. It is truly remarkable that it has held back phylloxera all these years, mostly thanks to the site's sandy soils. The wine itself is outstanding. Smokey, sweet and supple. There's a voluptuous feel to it, having spent close to 10 years on its lees. Classic brioche, red apple, white peach, and tarte tatin with a delicious textural depth; a Champagne anyone will love. Drinking well now, but it will stand the test of time.
Joshua Friend, Senior Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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