'Heurtebise' Champagne Blanc de Blanc Extra Brut 2017 | Chartogne Taillet

Heurtebise is a vintage Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) champagne derived from a lieu-dit (single parcel of vines)named Les Heurtes Bises. Planted in 1972, 1985, 1986 and 2010, the vines are exposed to the south on a gentle though windy plateau, giving rise to the cuvée’s namesake, Heurtebise (‘windfall’), and an allusion to the wine’s perpetual freshness. Compared to those in neighbouring chalk soils, the vines here are rooted in less-permeable soils of Thanetian limestone sands over sandstone bedrock, which require careful canopy and soil management to adapt to each vintage’s conditions to prevent waterlogging (in wet years) and to promote water absorption (in dry years).

After vinification in oak barrels, the wine is aged in 228 L Burgundian casks for up to 18 months before it is aged on lees. The 2017 release was disgorged in February 2022 and finished with a low dosage of 4 g/L.

Heurtebise 2017 is a class act of balance and freshness: a powerful, taut line of crystalline minerality anchors the palate from beginning to end, rippling with endless layers of flavour and pulsating with vibrant acidity. A mouth-filling burst of ripe citrus and stone fruit gives way to ample notes of almond, brioche and cream, precipitating a long, dry and textural finish reverberating with frank minerality and bristling with vitality.

About the domaine:

The vineyards of Merfy, seven kilometers north of Reims, lie on the southern slopes of the Massif de Saint-Thierry in the Montagne de Reims. These slopes were planted shortly after the arrival of the Romans and monks of the neighboring Abbey of Saint-Thierry expanded the vineyards in the 7th century. By the 9th century, the vines surrounding the abbey represented the single largest concentration of vines in Champagne and the wines from Merfy earned a great reputation and found their way to the Royal table.

Today, Chartogne-Taillet remains the only RM producer in the village and under Alexandre Chartogne’s guidance, the wines of Chartogne-Taillet are some of the most sought-after Champagnes being produced. Alexandre worked with Anslem Selosse, who he describes as “my wine father”, returning home in 2006. The first wine that he produced was the 2006 vintage of Les Barres, a very special parcel of ungrafted Meunier, planted in 1952. The soil in this parcel is sand for almost 3 meters before the roots reach the chalk bedrock, allowing the vines “to live in two environments”.

In 2007 Alexandre assumed control of the entire estate. In the early years, Alexandre experimented with lots of different vessels for fermentation and elevage, including amphorae and concrete eggs. Watching the wines, vineyards and Alexandre himself evolve over the last 10 years has been extraordinary.

Grapes from sustainable farming, natural yeast and low added sulfites.