Eric Taillet Exclusiv'T Extra Brut

Iconic champagne from Maison Taillet, velvety, creamy and rich. Little brother of the House's iconic champagne Exclusiv'T, the Extra Brut version reveals another facet, with a more accentuated and fresher vinous side.

On the nose, notes of delicate yellow fruits (apricot and citrus fruits) are enhanced by a very beautiful freshness. On the palate, the attack is fresh, fruity, then revealing a very nice maturity. A vinous champagne, of great complexity.

100% Meunier from the vineyards of Basileux-sous-Châtillon in the Vallée de la Marne, including 20 to 30% reserve wines from a perpetual reserve since 2011. 24 months maturation on slats and spikes. Dosage 1 g/l.

Even by the standards of other wineries in Champagne, Eric Taillet’s production is TINY. He has barely 15 acres and sells a large portion of the grapes he grows — but he keeps the best plots for his highly in-demand wines. Taillet is an evangelist for the potential of the Vallée de la Marne, where his family’s vineyards lie. This is Meunier country, and he believes in the potential of the grape so much that he’s devoted his life to spreading its gospel. He has even started an organization called the Meunier Institute, which allows growers to show off the potential of 100% Meunier wines just like this one. Taillet is one of the rare producers in Champagne to use native yeasts for his primary fermentations, a bold choice that builds more complexity. He ages his base wines in a mixture of stainless-steel tanks and older oak barrels before bottling, when they’re blended with 30% reserve wine from a perpetual-blend system that goes all the way back to 2011. After disgorgement and a very light dosage, the result is an incisive bottle that’s as captivating as it is hard to find.