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Tarlant, Champagne Brut Nature "Argilite", 2016

Sparkling Wine from Champagne, France
$189.99
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Champagne fermented in Georgian qvevri, the clay vessels buried in the ground next to the winery, is about as far off the beaten path as Champagne gets. It comes from Tarlant, the family that was bottling zero-dosage Champagne back in the 1970s. The Tarlants started experimenting in 2011 after their first trip to Georgia, and getting a few traditional pure-clay, beeswax-lined qvevri back to the Marne took real effort. The name mashes together argile (clay) and mineralité. It started as a nickname around the winery, and the family jokingly translate it as "clay-ity," since what the clay mostly changes is texture. (Check the label: Argilité is the only word on it not written in Georgian.) The 2016 is pure Chardonnay from the organically farmed Notre Dame parcel in Celles-lès-Condé, a south-facing slope at 120 metres over Lutetian lignite limestone. The fruit was hand-picked, run by gravity into the qvevri, fermented with native yeasts and kept off malolactic. After 10 months on its lees it was bottled unfined just before the 2017 harvest, then rested on laths until it was disgorged in 2025, so it's time, not sugar, that rounds the wine out.

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Antonio Galloni

94 points

"A new wine in this range, the 2016 Brut Nature Argilité is 100% Chardonnay from the Notre Dame lieu-dit in Celles-les-Conde, vinified and aged in amphora. Soaring floral overtones meld into lemon peel, chalk, mint, sage and white pepper. Beautifully chiseled and energetic, the Argilité is incredibly distinctive. I especially admire the energy here. Aging in amphora gives this wine a very distinctive textural feel vis-à-vis the other Champagnes in the range." —Antonio Galloni

Wine Spectator

94 points

"Firm and well-cut, with a minerally underpinning of chalk and smoke notes, this offers flavors of toasted raisin bread, spiced orange peel, smoked almond, lemon oil and crystallized honey. Rich and distinctive, this is more savory than fruit-forward, with the fine, plush mousse carrying a salty tang on the lasting finish. Chardonnay and Meunier. Disgorged June 2023."

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More about Tarlant

Tarlant was making zero dosage Champagne in the 1970s when everyone thought they were insane. Decades later, they're still 90% no-dosage, letting 'time be their dosage' through long élevage. These are some of Champagne's most refreshing, honest bubbles.

See all Tarlant wines

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Chardonnay

  • Vintage

    Champagne , 2016

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Elegant

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

What Bowler Wine has to say about this wine:

100% Chardonnay. The Tarlants began experimenting with Georgian qvevri in the 2011 vintage, inspired by their first trip to Georgia and a deep dive into the ancient and local winemaking traditions of the country. They imported, with no small degree of difficulty, a few of these traditional, pure-clay (no sand), beeswax-lined vessels in various sizes and buried them next to their winery. Six vintages in, the experimentation and exploration are ongoing and successful. "Argilité", a sort of spontaneous mash-up of argile (clay) and mineralité, became the wine's nickname around the winery and stuck. The Tarlants think of it whimsically as meaning "clay-ity" (the main impact of the time in clay being on the texture of the wine). Note that "Argilité" is the only word on the label in the western alphabet; the rest is strikingly written in the Georgian language.

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Raw oysters with mignonette; scallop crudo with citrus and olive oil; Georgian khachapuri; gougères or aged Comté; sole meunière.

Tasting Profile

Expect a bone-dry, zero-dosage Blanc de Blancs with fine bubbles: lemon, green apple and chalk, plus the toasty, brioche-like depth that long bottle age brings. Fermentation in clay rather than oak or steel typically gives a broader, more textural, medium-bodied palate, while skipping malolactic keeps the acidity taut and the finish long, saline and clean.

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Champagne boasts some of the world’s greatest luxury brands with Krug, Cristal and, of course, Dom Perignon. But it’s also home to hundreds of small dynamic producers—farmers who grow their own grapes (often organically) and make (often with natural methods) tiny amounts of pure and absolutely delicious wine that reflect the individual personalities of their villages and terroirs. Toast with these wines, for sure. But also treat them like the great wines they are: taste, drink, explore!

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