Champagne Laherte Frères Extra Brut Les Empreintes 2017

The estate is now co-run by sixth-generation brothers Christian and Thierry Laherte – who oversee operations and management – alongside Thierry's son Aurélien, who serves as winemaker. Their philosophy is singular: Let the terroir do the talking.

The name Les Empreintes means "fingerprints," and this cuvée is unmistakably its own. The fruit is an equal split of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drawn from two distinct parcels in Chavot. The Chardonnay comes from Les Chemins d'Epernay – clay soils laced with silt deposits over a chalky subsoil, planted with vines over 65 years old. Notably, about a third of the Chardonnay vines are a rare clone called Chardonnay Muscaté, prized for its high-toned floral character. The Pinot Noir hails from Les Rouges Maisons, a 40-year-old plot rooted in deeper soils of clay mixed with limestone schist and flinty silex.

The nose opens with lemon oil, white flowers, spearmint, and crab apple, with a subtle oxidative depth reminiscent of a dry fino sherry. On the palate, the wine is bright and precise – sour cherries, golden apples, and Bartlett pears give way to accents of marzipan, white pepper, toasted almonds, and sourdough. The finish is stony and mineral, lifting with a vivid kick of ginger and pink peppercorns. It's complex, serious, and genuinely ageworthy. Excellent on its own and extraordinary with the right meal, this is a bottle that rewards patience as much as it rewards opening tonight. Alas, we have only a handful of cases – and this might be one to disappear quickly!