Tarlant NV Brut Zero [Base 2016]

(Arrives 12/23) 32% Pinot Noir/32% Chardonnay/32% Pinot Meunier/4% Petit Meslier + Arbanne + Pinot Blanc. This cuvée makes up 70-90% of Tarlant's production and "is my daily obsession", says Benoît Tarlant. Zero reflects the Tarlant emphasis on unadorned terroir, with no selected yeasts and no dosage. The compostion is generally 60% of the base vintage--in this case 2016--plus 40% reserve wines. The organically farmed, hand-harvested fruit comes potentially from all 63 of Tarlant's parcels from across 4 villages (Oeuilly, Boursault, St-Agnan and Celles-lès-Condé), with each vinified separately to give maximum flexibility in dialing in the blend. The fruit is gently pressed and the juice fermented with natural yeasts in Burgundy barrels ranging from new to 30 years old. The wine generally does not go through malolactic fermentation. Moved by gravity only, the new vintage is blended with barrel-aged reserve wines. The 2016-base was bottled in 2017 and disgorged in 2023 with zero dosage. "The NV Brut Nature Zero is a classic Tarlant Champagne. Pear, dried flowers, mint, chamomile and tangerine peel are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop over time. This release is based on 2016, with reserve wines. Long aging on lees and the blend of varieties, plus the character of the reserve wines, yields a non-vintage Champagne of uncommon complexity and character." Vinous 3/24