Laherte Frères Nature de Craie

Nature de Craie sits within the more focused side of the Laherte Frères range and is best understood as a standing non-vintage cuvée rather than a wine tied to one declared harvest. That release status matters because the domaine produces a number of parcel- and vintage-specific Champagnes alongside its broader house wines. Laherte Frères is based in Chavot-Courcourt, south of Épernay, and traces its winegrowing history to 1889. The family now works around 75 parcels, giving the estate an unusually fragmented vineyard base from which to explore differences of grape, place and cellar treatment. The modern portfolio is deliberately structured in layers. Ultradition provides the broad house reference; the Singulières & Originales wines move towards more specific grape or stylistic ideas; and the Cœurs de Terroir wines narrow the focus further towards individual sites and old-vine material. Nature de Craie belongs to the part of the range where that more precise, low-dosage philosophy becomes increasingly visible. Wood is an important part of the house style, with the producer stating that around 80% of the domaine’s wines are fermented and aged in wood. Parcel vinification, massal selection and generally restrained dosage recur across the estate, but exact technical details still belong to the individual release rather than to every Laherte bottle. For someone new to the producer, Ultradition Brut remains the broadest introduction. Nature de Craie is the more natural next step when the buyer wants a non-vintage cuvée that sits closer to the domaine’s terroir-focused and lower-dosage side. Its appeal lies in that position within the range: a standing Champagne from a grower whose identity is built around keeping place, grape and cellar choices visible, rather than blending those differences away.