Champagne Laherte Frères Les 7 NV Solera 05-17. Disg. Feb 2020

Les 7 is Laherte Frères' co-planted field blend of all seven grape varieties still permitted in Champagne, taken from a single parcel at Chavot and refreshed each year from a perpetual reserve.

Laherte Frères was founded at Chavot, in the Coteaux Sud d'Épernay, in 1889 by Jean-Baptiste Laherte, and Aurélien Laherte, the fourth generation, took charge in 2005. The estate works around ten hectares divided into more than seventy small parcels across the Coteaux Sud d'Épernay, the Côte des Blancs and the Vallée de la Marne, a substantial share of it certified organic and biodynamic and the rest farmed organically or in conversion. Les 7 comes from one plot planted by Aurélien's father Thierry in 2003 with Chardonnay, Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier and Arbane interplanted, so the seven are picked, pressed and fermented together rather than assembled afterwards. Roughly sixty per cent of each release is the current harvest and the balance comes from a perpetual reserve begun in 2005, which is what the 05-17 on the label records. Fermentation is in wood, malolactic is avoided, and the wine is disgorged by hand at low dosage.

Ready now and able to develop further in bottle; serve at about 8°C with roast poultry, grilled white fish or a hard mountain cheese.