Description
Champagne Tarlant, “La Vigne d’Antan” Non Greffée Chardonnay
See “Non Greffée” at the bottom of the label? That means “not grafted,” and it tells me this cuvée belongs to Champagne’s 0.1%. Yes, that decimal is in the correct place. Some 70 years ago, in Tarlant’s home village of Oeuilly, there was a neglected plot of vines within a small forest whose canes climbed and spiraled around tree trunks. These gnarled, forgotten beasts held a secret: They had survived phylloxera, due to the sandy soils in which they were rooted. In the 1960s, the Tarlants propagated them and the lieu-dit of “Îlot des Sables” (Islet of Sand) was born. Today, these old, ungrafted vines produce low yields of naturally farmed Chardonnay which makes this 2004 bottling one of the rarest wines in the region.
These ripe grapes were hand harvested in October of 2004 and the whole clusters were gently pressed into neutral Burgundian barrels. Following a spontaneous fermentation (sans malo) and six months of maturation, the wine was transferred into bottle. After nearly 15 years of quiet aging, this unfined/unfiltered cuvée was disgorged in February of 2020 and a cork was applied without dosage. This limited parcel just arrived stateside.
How to describe this 18-year-old Champagne? Like an old Grand Cru Raveneau or Dauvissat, perhaps, with a soft injection of fine carbonation. Served in Burgundy stems around 55 degrees, this slowly unfurls and graces the senses with crushed hazelnut, bruised apricot and quince, lees, pastry, dried ginger, sage honey, wet rock, salted lemon, and a light melding of exotic spices. Simultaneously supple and bone-dry, the dense, mature yellow fruits on the palate have now burrowed into a sublime core of stony-saline minerality. The finish sizzles in perpetuum. Ultimately, it’s a wine that demands a little patience, a little oxygen, and a whole lot of respect. Enjoy slowly, with your finest Champagne friends.
