Champagne La Vigne d'Or 2009 Champagne Tarlant

The Champagne La Vigne d'Or Blanc de Meuniers Brut Nature 2009 from Tarlant is one of the most singular and moving bottles from this family house in Oeuilly, whose Champagne origins trace back to 1687. A hundred percent Pinot Meunier from a single parcel of Sparnacien clay planted by Georges Tarlant, the founder's grandfather, bottled in 2010 and disgorged in 2024 after fourteen years of ageing on its lees. La Vigne d'Or proves with striking clarity how misplaced the disdain for this grape truly is: a Champagne of breathtaking depth and complexity, one that can easily rival any Grand Cru Chardonnay. Expressive and beautifully made, this 2009 shines in what was a warm and generous vintage.

The parcel and terroir

La Vigne d'Or takes its name from the golden hue of Pinot Meunier in autumn, and from the restored nobility Tarlant has given this grape. The Pierre de Bellevue parcel lies in Oeuilly, planted in 1947 by Georges Tarlant in mass selection from the family's finest vines. These sixty-five-year-old vines root themselves in Sparnacien, the grey and blue clays characteristic of the Marne Valley that represent the true terroir for Pinot Meunier: rich, fat, well-draining, with natural organic matter that confers on the grape a roundness, a generous fruitiness, and a floral complexity that distinguish it from every other Champagne variety. This Sparnacien terroir is precisely what Champagne purists have ignored for far too long: on these clays, Meunier is not a utilitarian blending grape but a serious variety capable of a depth, complexity, and length that Chardonnay and Pinot Noir cannot approach. The 2009 vintage was one of the warmest and most generous of the Champagne decade, producing grapes of exceptional phenolic and aromatic ripeness. Bottled in 2010, disgorged in 2024, Brut Nature: zero dosage. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, seven to eight months on indigenous lees in Burgundy oak, no malolactic fermentation, no filtration, no fining.

Tasting profile

The colour is a sustained golden yellow with amber and gold glints, a visual richness and warmth that speak directly to the 2009 vintage and fourteen years of ageing on lees. The mousse is fine and persistent. The nose shows immediate complexity and generosity, quintessentially Meunier at its finest: ripe orchard fruits, caramelised pear, apricot and peach, mingle with spice and ginger, notes of bread crust and brioche, and a delicate oxidative touch acquired over time. Fresh and spicy, with wild herbs and ripe pear. On the palate, the 2009 is opulent and complex, with harmonious interplay of fruit and spice. Juicy and concentrated, with lively acidity that stretches the palate and a creamy texture of great finesse. Apricot tart, maple and pecan, honeyed lemon and plum enrich this palette with remarkable complexity and generosity. The finish is long and saline, energetic and engaging, with that return of ripe fruits and spice that is the absolute signature of Sparnacien Meunier at its most accomplished.

The house

Since the reign of Louis XIV, the Tarlant family has cultivated vines in the Marne Valley. Today, Benoît and Mélanie Tarlant, the twelfth generation, farm their 14 hectares in Oeuilly under certified organic viticulture, vinifying each grape variety from each parcel separately. La Vigne d'Or, like La Vigne Royale and La Vigne d'Antan, belongs to the house's terroir wines: one parcel, one grape, one vintage, zero dosage. What Benoît Tarlant has created in Oeuilly cannot be simply described as a grower Champagne. It is far more than that.

Food pairings

This Champagne La Vigne d'Or Blanc de Meuniers 2009 will pair beautifully with roasted poultry with wild mushrooms, veal sweetbreads with morels, roasted turbot with beurre blanc, hand-dived scallops with truffle butter, aged cheeses such as a 24-month Comté, Époisses, or Brie de Meaux. It will also be sublime on its own, in a large white Burgundy glass, left to open for twenty minutes so that fourteen years of lees development can fully bloom. Served between 12 and 14°C, it will reveal the full generosity of its fruit, the clay-rich depth of Sparnacien terroir, and the complete complexity of a Blanc de Meuniers Champagne at its highest expression.