2002/2003 Tarlant Champagne Cuvée Louis
„A single-vineyard wine from the Les Crayons site of Oeuilly that’s a blend of 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir ,wild-fermented in wooden casks without malolactic.“
Like the label a truely majestic Champagne. Opulent, concentrated „stoffig“, powerful with brioche and nuts all over. It starts quite hedonistic, but the finish is precise, sublime, complex and what a depth.
A terrific Champagne.
95-96/100
Love Tarlant. Thanks for the note.
Do you know the base vintages?
Unfortunately not, I have to ask my generous host.
It was the NV though, correct?
Also, CT has entries for Tarlant Champagne Cuvée Louis which list it as Brut, Extra Brut and Brut Nature. And the CT photos make it all look like the same front label as in your photo.
Any idea which one you had? Or did you see the dosage on the back label at least?
Thanks.
I asked my generous host for the vintage.
Stay tuned……
I had a couple of bottles of the 02/03 base vintage and figueing all of this out was difficult even with the bottle in hand…
Usually, the Cuvée Louis is ~50% of a certain vintage with two or more back vintages (the immediately preceding vintages of the main vintage in the cuvée). The current release should be 2004 with back vintages 2002 and 2003. It’s usually zero dosage, but in some previous releases it was extra brut, but always with less than 2 g/l dosage. One of my favourite champagnes.
P.S.
So far no reply from my host regarding the vintage. But it must be certainly 2004, as they offer only 2004 in Germany.
BTW, our host served it with the remark that he bought it out of curiosity, as this Cuvée Louis by Tarlant outperformed Krug, Bollinger etc. in a Champagne blindtasting with german wine-journalists.
It was the vintage 2002/2003
Fantastic Champagne
I like the 2004 more tho:
From the Lieu-dit field “Les Crayons in Œuilly, Vallée de la Marne down towards the Marne River. Vines planted from 1946 to 1948 by Louis Tarlant. 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay. Harvested 3 and 5 October. Bottled 2 May 2005. Disgorged 1 February 2021. No dosage (brut nature). Production 3,000 bottles.
And the Vigne d’Antan 2004 even more:
From Lieu-dit field Les Sables in Œuilly, Vallée de la Marne down towards the Marne River. 100% Chardonnay on vines planted in 1962 (ungrafted vines “franc de pied”, as the only Chardonnay champagne - comparable to Bollinger’s Vielles Vignes Francaises on Pinot Noir). Harvested October 2. Bottled 2 May 2005. Disgorged 1 February 2021. No dosage (brut nature). Production 1,300 bottles
