Tarlant - Oeuilly

Vignerons since 1687, who now, under the guidance of Benoit Tarlant, are producing an impressive array of terroir driven wines. Careful use of barrel fermentation allows Benoit to create a range of elegant but complex wines from the three classic varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Oeuilly is 10km west of Epernay on the main N3 road to Dormans – in the Marne Valley – quite high up, looking over the Marne river. 13 Hectares are divided into diverse soil types: Chalk, Limestone, Sand, Gravel and Sparnacien which is a blend of clay and chalk. Average age of the vines is 29 years with the ratio being Pinot Noir 50%, Chardonnay 30% and Pinot Meunier 20%. This is Marne Valley terroir, so the Pinots are the dominant varieties.

Benoit is very fastidious about the quality of his grapes and the subsequent juice. Traditionally in Champagne you are allowed to press 2,550 litres of juice from 4,000 kg of grapes. This is split into various quality components which may or may not be used by the grower and maybe sold off. Benoit takes this one step further. He carefully monitors the juice from the 1st pressing known as the ‘cuvée’ and splits this into two components, ‘cuvée A’ and ‘cuvée B’. When he is no longer happy with the quality – he stops pressing then and there. He is not interested in pressing further to produce a second pressing. He has no interest in vinifying it and then selling it off to the big houses – doing that is just a waste of time, tank and space. Often he only obtains 1400-1600 litres of usable juice from the 4,000 kg. He then combines the various A and B components to achieve his cuvée blend. Dosages are kept low with the average being 6g/litre.

Vinification is partly in stainless steel and small oak barriques from Burgundy. Malolactic fermentation is blocked in some of the cuvées to add some freshness and acidity. The back label is always a masterpiece of technique description as Benoit goes to great lengths to explain the vineyard, when and how the grapes were picked, disgorgement dates and dosage. There is no margin for error. Benoit exposes all! Ever since Benoit was a child working in the family vineyard, he always recognized that the various plots of vineyards produced ‘different tasting grapes’. Now he has utilised his knowledge and experience by creating ‘micro-cuvées’ from these unique vineyard parcels. Benoit has created two super mono variety Cuvées, "La Vigne d'Antan Non Greffée" Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut made from ungrafted original Chardonnay rootstock vines planted in 1961, and ‘La Vigne d’Or Blanc de Meuniers” from very old Pinot Meunier vines. This Pinot Meunier cuvée reminded me very much of Krug! These wines undergo small barrique fermentation with no malolactic fermentation, no fining and no filtration.