Aurélien Laherte took the reins of his family's Champagne house in 2005, and what he has done since amounts to a quiet revolution: converting to biodynamics, abandoning malolactic fermentation on the single-vineyard wines, and replacing the estate's anonymous house style with a collection of site-specific cuvées that capture the diversity of 75 different parcels spread across five villages.
Backstory
Jean-Baptiste Laherte founded the estate in 1889. The house passed through six generations to reach Thierry and Christian Laherte, who handed responsibility to Aurélien, the seventh generation, when he returned from his studies in 2005. One of his early moves was co-founding the Terres et Vins de Champagne collective in 2009 with his childhood friend Raphaël Bérèche, bringing together producers committed to terroir-driven, low-intervention winemaking in a region often dominated by large houses.
The Region
Laherte Frères is based in Chavot in the Coteaux Sud d'Épernay subregion, with holdings extending across Moussy, Vaudencourt, Morangis and Épernay. The estate's three terroir types — chalky Côte des Blancs soils, the clay-chalk-silex blends of Chavot, and the silt-and-clay Vallée de la Marne — supply the building blocks for a portfolio of non-vintage blends and single-parcel releases.
Vineyards and Farming
La estate manages 10.5 hectares across more than 75 parcels. Seven hectares carry organic and biodynamic certification; the remainder is farmed sustainably. Varieties include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier alongside a remarkable collection of heritage grapes: Petit Meslier, Arbanne, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Fromenteau. All plantings are propagated via selection massale. Since 2011, Aurélien has also purchased grapes from trusted growers aligned with his farming philosophy, the equivalent of a further four hectares.
Winemaking
Roughly 80 percent of production ferments and matures in wood — approximately 350 Burgundy barrels, six large foudres and one truncated-cone tank. Vinification proceeds parcel by parcel. Single-vineyard prestige cuvées undergo no malolactic fermentation and are bottled without fining or filtration. Dosage ranges from zero to eight grams per litre depending on the wine; the estate's natural-wine touchstone is a cuvée produced with no added sulfur at any stage.
The Wines
The Ultradition range — Brut, Extra Brut and Rosé — forms the accessible entry point. The single-vineyard collection includes Les Vignes d'Autrefois (old-vine Meunier), Les Empreintes and Les Longues Voyes. The "Les 7" cuvée blends all seven varieties cultivated on the estate and stands as one of Champagne's most unusual and compelling bottlings.
