"La Vigne d`Antan" Brut Nature

France
Champagne
2004

100% Chardonnay. From a plot of ungrafted or non-greffée vines on very sandy soils in Oeuilly, planted by the Tarlants' grandfather, and unsurprisingly named "Les Sables". The name "Antan" means essentially "yesteryear", a reference to the historical roots of this bottling as well as the old-fashioned layering method called provignage by which the vineyard was propagated. The organically farmed fruit was hand-harvested and gently pressed; the juice was fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel vats. The wine was aged in barrel with no malolactic fermentation before bottling in May 2005. The bottles were aged sur lattes, disgorged in 2020 and finished with zero dosage.

It is worth noting that the Tarlants distinguish between terroir wines and vintage wines. This can be a little tricky to discern at first. The terroir wines (La Vigne d'Antan, La Vigne d'Or, La Vigne Royale) are often vintage-specific--but the vintage is not the emphasis--as evidenced by the fact that the vintage only appears in very small type on the back label. La Vigne d'Antan is an example of this. On the other hand, the vintage-focused bottling, of which there is only one per vintage, features the year in large print on the front label, with its name essentially appearing as a smaller subtitle below the vintage; the name of the vintage bottling also changes each year (for example, the 2004 is  'L'Aérienne" and the 2005 "La Lutétienne").

95 points
"The 2004 La Vigne d’Antan, 100% Chardonnay from ungrafted vines, emerges from a parcel near the winery. White flowers, mint, citrus and white pepper lend tremendous vibrancy to this nervy, sinewy Champagne. Bright saline accents that extend the chiseled finish beautifully. The 2004 is just exquisite. Disgorged: June 5, 2021"
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous Media
May 2022
95 points
"So ripe, rich and toasty that you only realize it’s bone-dry when it has rolled a long way over the palate. Very long, savory and mineral finish with so much drive. Still so energetic, in spite of the complex, mature character, so I can imagine this aging for many more years. A blend of 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot noir that was wild-fermented in wooden casks with no malolactic. Disgorged February 1st, 2021. Drink or hold."
James Suckling,
James Suckling
December 2021

SKU/Code: 
DB2860-04
Product Line: 
Wine
Sparkling
Varietal: 
Chardonnay
Farming Type: 
Organic