La Vigne Royale Brut Nature Blanc de Noirs 2007

Tasting Note for La Vigne Royale Brut Nature Blanc de Noirs 2007 by Tarlant

Colour & Appearance

Deep, luminous straw yellow with golden highlights and an extremely fine, persistent perlage.

Nose

An uncompromising, highly complex opening. Ripe red apple, dried rosehip and shimmering notes of smoke meet fine toasted aromas of brioche and roasted almonds, underpinned by a cool chalky salinity.

Palate

The palate showcases Benoît Tarlant’s puristic signature: crystal-clear, completely unvarnished and with immense structural tension. The Pinot Noir imparts a powerful grip, whilst the blocked malolactic fermentation provides a razor-sharp, vibrating acidity. Ripe fruit accents of quince and cranberry merge with a chalky texture.

Finish

Long-lasting, taut and memorably savoury. The complete absence of dosage leaves an extremely elegant, salty finish with accents of citrus zest and subtle oak spice.

Terroir & Origin

This single-vineyard Champagne comes from the lieu-dit “Mocque Tonneau” in Celles-lès-Condé (Vallée de la Marne). The south-facing plot, with a 33% slope, sits at an altitude of 170 metres above the confluence of the Surmelin and Dhuys rivers. The subsoil consists of hard Lutetian limestone.

Grape Variety & Vinification

100% Pinot Noir from a massal selection planted in 1991. Gentle pressing by gravity, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts and 8 months of aging on the fine lees in Burgundian oak barrels without malolactic fermentation. Following the hand harvest on 12 September 2007, this vintage Blanc de Noirs spent over 14 years on its bottle lees before being disgorged in June 2022 as a Brut Nature (0 g/L dosage).

Food Pairings

Outstanding with pink-roasted pigeon breast, intensely savoury Pata Negra ham or pan-seared scallops with truffle butter.

Particularities

An extreme rarity from the first extreme climate vintage of the younger generation (severe frost, hot summer): A micro-production of just 1,500 bottles worldwide, perfectly expressing the artisanal ethos and uncompromising zero-dosage philosophy of the House of Tarlant.