Laherte Freres Nature de Craie Champagne

Aurélien Laherte has been experimenting with a sans soufre (zero-sulphur) cuvée for several vintages, achieving success in 2018 with Nature de Craie. This cuvée is derived from two Premier Cru terroirs in Vertus and Voipreux, featuring vines planted in 1960, 1965, and 1987. The term "craie" refers to the chalky soils which lie on the lower slopes, which provide good exposure and and in turn providing fruit ripeness and no need for additional dosage. The hand-harvested fruit undergoes traditional pressing and maturation in neutral oak barrels, followed by aging under cork for 12 months. Laherte realised the secret to creating a cuvée with zero additions was to let the wine undergo full malolactic conversion, followed by bottling with zero dosage.