FRANCE
Tarlant
Tarlant Champagne house is located in a small village called Oeuilly, in the Marne, south west of Reims. The estate covers 14 hectares in total in four different crus. The vineyards are spread over 55 parcels located in the village of Oeuilly, Boursault, St-Agnan and Celles-les-Condés.
The soil is made of Chalk, Sparnacien (clay-limestone), Sand, Limestone, small pebbles. The 5 types of soil maybe viewed by selecting the document attached to this page - "5 Types of Soil". The vineyards also vary in altitude between 150m- 500ft and 80m - 260ft above sea level. Planted with a density of 9000 vines per ha, the cépages are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier which are the most widely planted in Champagne. Tarlant has retained some unusual varietals that used to be found in the area in the past; Arbanne, Pinot Blanc and Petit Meslier adding a touch of uniqueness to the blends. Each vineyard is vinified separately so that each barrel is the pure expression from the terroir. It is in the spring that the Tarlant family, together, tastes each individual barrel and decide on the blends.
Champagne Tarlant is highly respectful of the environment and their style of viticulture is guided by the nature. Their relationship with the land is such that its aim is to give long term and sustainable biodiversity and to protect the micro-organisms which live in it. Green manure or organic fertilizers, depending on the soil requirements, are used as fertilizers. The vineyards are grassed to prevent erosion and harvest is done by hand, picked at perfect ripeness thus respecting the unique characteristic of each terroir.
Currently 3 generations of the Tarlant family live on the estate and Benoit Tarlant is the 12th generation since its creation.
The Tarlant family has been involved in winemaking since 1687. According to local records, Pierre TARLANT (1648-1744) was the first winegrower, in Gland, a village in the Aisne district. In 1780, Louis Tarlant (1750-1806), a descendent, and his wife Marie-Madeleine went to live in Oeuilly, in the Marne, where they started planting their own vineyards, an inheritance which was to be handed over from generation to generation ever since. Until 1928 the wines produced were still white and red wines which were sold in Parisian inns and cabarets. In 1911 Louis Adrien Tarlant (1878-1960) was involved in the "Champagne Revolution” to have the AOC recognized worldwide. Louis, as Mayor of Oeuilly, and his colleagues were instrumental in specifying the AOC Champagne area in 1927. After the 1st World war and Louis return, he and his wife, Julia, spent the next 10 years rebuilding what had been destroyed and released the first Tarlant Cuvée named “Carte Blanche” in 1928. Carte Blanche was sold in France between the 2 world wars. The 2nd World War brought more difficulties when Georges Senior (1908-2008) was sent to war and his wife Germaine, father in law Louis and son Georges Jnr (1928-2007) tried to maintain the vineyards. In 1945 Georges Jnr became the winemaker and with his wife, Denise, started to expand the family business by acquiring more vineyards and developing the estate into a modern operation.
From 1972, their son Jean-Mary Tarlant (1951-) and Micheline, his wife, started to prove themselves in the family estate. Jean-Mary is a highly trained winemaker and is passionate about his vineyards and his wines. Above all, he is a “man of the soil”, he looks after his vines with vigilance because "a great wine demands high class grapes". He monitors, masters and applies techniques that respect the terroir and the varieties to make champagnes that are true to their origin.
Jean-Mary and Micheline have two children, Benoît (1976-) and Mélanie (1980-) who joined them in the business at the dawn of the 21st century.
Benoit is also highly trained in his field; before joining the Estate, he visited many different winegrowing regions world-wide while studying for his master's at the OIV (International Wine Office). Open-minded and skilled, with a knowledge acquired through his family’s history and heritage, his style of winemaking demonstrates his rigor, his passion and his avid exploration of taste. With climate, terroir and fruit transcended by his winemaking choices, he wants each wine to express its very essence. The audacity of his experiments adds a new dimension to the edifice that is Tarlant.
Melanie has just joined the family estate and is involved in communication, sales and marketing.
Benoit and Melanie are the 12th generation on the estate with 3 generations living on the estate and fully involved in producing Tarlant Champagne with Georges, centenarian, Jean-Mary, Micheline, Benoit and Mélanie.
Champagne Tarlant has received numerous valuable acclaims in the press from France, to Japan, the UK, Canada and many more shores including the US. Bruce Sanderson from Wine Spectator Magazine in his article "Brut Strength" (12/31/2008) notes the following:
"The Tarlant family has been growing grapes in Champagne since the 17th century. Its current cuvées, both the Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne La Vigne d'Antan NV (93) and the Brut Rosé Champagne NV (92), display refinement and harmony, with the rosé reminiscent of an aged Volnay with bubbles.
Benoît Tarlant, who represents the 12th generation of winemakers, prefers to use oak for the fermentations. "I vinify the best juices in new barrel, because those vineyards are able to dominate the oak, and their concentration will gain by this period in new barrel," he notes. "I don't do malo [malolactic fermentation] for any wines, so I also work with barrels [up to] 20 years old."