Disgorged December 2021. This wine offers what Laherte calls the “quintessence of the Chavot terroir”. It is always a selection of Laherte’s five best barrels from each of his two finest Chavot plots: old-vine Chardonnay from Les Chemins d’Épernay (planted in 1957 on clay with chalky subsoils, with around one-third of the fruit the rare Chardonnay-Muscaté); and Pinot Noir from Les Rouges Maisons (planted in the late ‘80s on deep soil rich in clay, flint and schist). The wines were vinified separately and raised in old Burgundy barrels (with some portions fermented in second-hand DRC Le Montrachet barrels). The dosage was 4 g/L.There is genuine depth and texture from the old vines and the clay of Les Chemins d’Épernay, but this opulence is vibrantly balanced by crystalline freshness and a long, classy finish. A superb and unique Champagne that clearly speaks of its terroir. If you love great white Burgundy, then this has a similar set of textural and mineral qualities.