Champagne Tarlant Brut Nature Zero NV

This is the Champagne that delivers 0% sugar and 100% flavour, baby! Made in the same way as Tarlant's Reserve Brut but without the sweet 'dosage' added after fermentation, what you experience here is pure, candid (but not candied...) fruit. Mandarin, lemon rind and beeswax are served up in exhilarating simplicity that leaves you wondering what all the fuss is about sugar anyway...

The Tarlant family have been growing grapes in Champagne since 1687. Louis Tarlant planted the first of their current vineyards around Oeuilly in the Marne in 1780. Throughout the 1800s the Tarlant family supplied Paris with red and white wine, before turning their attention to what we now recognise as Champagne. After the vineyards were devastated by the First World War they were replanted by Louis Tarlant and his wife Julia, and the first Champagne was released under the name of ‘Carte Blanche’ in 1929. Today the domaine comprises 55 parcels spread over 14 hectares, and is run by siblings Benoit and Melanie Tarlant. Benoit is the winemaker while Melanie looks after the business and marketing side of the estate.

"The Tarlants feel it is important that their wines reveal the diversity of the sub-soil and the vineyards of the estate. Thus, each parcel is treated separately, and a number of single vineyard wines are made. A number of seldom-seen historic varieties such as Arbanne, Pinot Blanc and Petit Meslier are planted to maintain a link with Champagne’s past. The vineyards are farmed along biodynamic principles in order to preserve the health of the natural environment and maximize the expression of terroir. In the winery, dosage is kept to a minimum to maximize the purity of the wine, while old oak is used to build complexity and stability. Benoit enjoys experimenting with different techniques and equipment such as amphorae as he endeavours to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in Champagne.
Benoit Tarlant and his sister Melanie are the 12th generation of Tarlants to work at the family estate. Benoit has taken a masters at the OIV oenological university, during which time he travelled and worked in a broad range of wine-growing regions around the world before returning to take control of the winemaking at Champagne Tarlant."

Tarlant work their vineyards on an organic and biodynamic basis, although are not currently certified. They encourage sustainable biodiversity in the vineyards; allowing the vines and wildlife to find their natural balance. The soil at their vineyards is a mix of chalk, sparnacien (chalk mixed with clay), sand and limestone.

This is a bone-dry Champagne with no added sugar. Based around the 2007 vintage, plus a selection of reserve wines, it is also made up of 1/3 each of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. The first fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats which are thermostatically controlled at each stage of fermentation. The reserve wines are aged in oak barrels and no dosage is added.

To the eye, the Brut Nature Zero is golden with greenish hints and a fine mousse. The nose is fine, frank and fresh, with scents of wax, honey, lemon and mandarin. These flavours follow up on the palate, which is lively, long and open with citric freshness.