92 John Gilman - View from the Cellar

"Laherte Frères’ Ultra Tradition, their non-vintage Brut, is absolutely lovely juice and one of the best buys out there in the market today. I believe this is the same fine cuvée I reported on a year ago, and the extra ten months of bottle age has allowed it to really blossom. The blend is sixty percent pinot meunier, thirty percent chardonnay and ten percent pinot noir, with a significant percentage of the constituent wines barrel-fermented. The deep and complex nose wafts from the glass in a smoky mix of apple, tangerine, bread dough, beautifully complex soil tones, pinot meunier’s gentle floral tones and the aforementioned smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and beautifully defined by its soil signature, with a fine core, frothy mousse, lovely complexity and balance and a very long, focused and classy finish. There is just a whisper of oak influence here on the backend, but it simply adds to the complexity of this superb non-vintage Brut. Great juice. 2014-2030."