Champagne Tarlant, Zero Brut Nature NV (2013 Base), 750 mL

1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Pinot Meunier. This cuvée makes up 70-90% of Tarlant's production and "is my daily obsession", says Benoît Tarlant. Zero reflects the Tarlant emphasis on unadorned terroir, with no selected yeasts and no dosage. The compostion is generally 60% of the base vintage--in this case 2014--plus 40% reserve wines. The organically farmed, hand-harvested fruit comes potentially from all 63 of Tarlant's parcels from across 4 villages (Oeuilly, Boursault, St-Agnan and Celles-lès-Condé), with each vinified separately to give maximum flexibility in dialing in the blend. The fruit is gently pressed and the juice fermented with natural yeasts in Burgundy barrels ranging from new to 30 years old. The wine generally does not go through malolactic fermentation. Moved by gravity only, the new vintage is blended with barrel-aged reserve wines. The 2014-base was bottled in 2015 and disgorged in 2021 with zero dosage.