N/V Petit Meslier, Extra Brut, Laherte Frères (Base 2021, disgorged October 2023)
Aurélien Laherte is a champion of Champagne's lesser-known other varieties. While a few other growers frequently use them in their blend, brave and few are those making single variety expressions, like this Petit Meslier. It's chalky, tight, austere, and fierce, with notes of green apple and herbal echoes. This is not Champagne for the faint-hearted, but it is for the brave.