Champagne Tarlant - Prestige 1998

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

This dynamic family-run winery, located in the heart of the Marne Valley, continues to grow steadily and is not afraid to offer wines from specific plots, with very little or no added sugar, always of a robust character. The Tarlant family has been growing grapes since 1687 and began selling its first bottles in 1929 under the name “Carte Blanche.” Today, the next generation is firmly in place, with Jean-Mary and Micheline Tarlant and now their children Benoît and Mélanie. The 14-hectare vineyard, carefully tended using organic fertilizers, comprises 55 plots planted with the three traditional grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay), as well as Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier, and Arbanne.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

With deep roots in Champagne, the Tarlant family was already growing grapes in Dom Pérignon’s time. The estate was established in the Marne Valley starting in 1780, and its first champagne was released in 1929. Today, it boasts a 14-hectare vineyard and a distinctive style. At the helm since 1999 are Benoît and Mélanie, the children of Jean-Mary Tarlant, who presides over the house. In the cellar, Benoît vinifies in small tanks or barrels by “climat,” without malolactic fermentation, ages the reserve wines on lees, and favors low dosages (extra-brut) or none at all (brut zero).

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

"As close to the source as possible, Champagne in its purest form"—this is now the message on the labels of this family-run estate, one of the most dynamic in Champagne. In the heart of the left bank of the Marne Valley and the Surrmelin Valley, Benoît Tarlant (the winemaker) and his sister Mélanie (in charge of sales and communications) are gradually taking over from their parents. Their viticulture is demanding, adapted to a mosaic of soils and subsoils: from flinty sands to clays and limestones to pure chalk. Without the addition of yeast or enzymes, two-thirds of the winemaking takes place in oak. These champagnes have body and texture, and they retain great freshness due to a light dosage: in 2010, the entire production switched to minimal dosage (extra-brut, 4.5g) or no dosage (Nature). A true vintage policy is now in place, and, like the greatest Champagne houses, the Tarlants release their wines after eight or ten years in the cellar, at their peak. Bravo.