2006 Champagne Tarlant, La Vigne d'Or, Blanc de Meuniers, Brut Nature
Critics reviews
Attractive nose of brioche, roasted chestnuts, baked pears, cloves, gingerbread and salted caramel. It’s medium-bodied, bright and flavorful, with zesty and spicy elements throughout. Soft bubbles. Soft and caressing finish. Pinot meunier. Disgorged June 2022. Drink now.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (August 2023)
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 Noirs
Blanc de Noirs describes a wine produced entirely from black grapes. In Champagne, Blanc de Noirs cuvée can be made from the two black grapes permitted within the appellation, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Bollinger's prestige cuvée Vieilles Vignes Françaises, from ungrafted, old Pinot Noir vines, has set the yardstick in a style that is now produced by a number of other Champagne houses.
A typical Blanc de Noirs cuvée has a deep golden colour, and can be more intensely flavoured than the classic non-vintage, multi-grape blend.Recommended Producers: Cedric Bouchard, Bollinger
Pinot Meunier
Pinot Meunier is a black grape variety used primarily in the Champagne region of France. It is one of the three primary grape varieties used in Champagne production, alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Its exact origins are debatable, but it is believed to have originated in Champagne as a mutation of the Pinot Noir variety.
The name “Meunier” is derived from the French word for “miller,” as the underside of the grape leaves has a powdery, white appearance reminiscent of flour on a miller’s hands. The grapes are small and blue-black in colour, similar in appearance to Pinot Noir grapes.
Pinot Meunier is known for its adaptability and ability to grow well in cooler climates. It buds and ripens earlier than Pinot Noir, making it less susceptible to late spring frost damage. This characteristic is particularly valuable in Champagne, where the climate can be challenging.
The wines tend to be fruity, with flavours of red berries, cherries, and sometimes a hint of spice. They are often softer and more approachable than the more structured Pinot Noir in their youth.
While Pinot Meunier is most closely associated with Champagne, it is also grown in other wine regions, including parts of Germany, United States (mainly California), and New Zealand. In these regions, it is used to produce still and sparkling wines.
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
Disgorged June 2022, 0 dosage and only 1300 bottles made.
This is one of the region best known, and most averred 100% Pinot Meuniers. Grown on steep slopes of Oeuilly above the Marne river which over time has revealed the complex clay and limestone soils. The vineyard itself, is the organic North East facing, Pierre de Bellevue lieu-dits planted by the Tarlant family in 1947. Soft pressing, wild fermentation and 7 months in Burgundian barrique, no malolactic to hold tension. This is a unique Champagne, vinous and rich yet poised with crystalline energy. Earthy minerality layered with waxy fruits, wild flowers and golden apple charm. Complex and very long.
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Davy Zyw, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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