Laherte Frères was founded in 1889 by Jean-Baptiste Laherte, although the Laherte family sold grapes to the local cooperative for many years. Michel Laherte, the father of current proprietors Thierry and Christian Laherte, began to bottle champagne under his own label, and when brothers Thierry and Christian took over the estate, they appropriately changed the name back to Laherte Frères. Since 2002, they have been assisted by Thierry’s son Aurélien (pictured), who represents the seventh generation of his family to grow vines in this area.
Laherte’s champagnes are full in flavor and strongly imprinted by place, reflecting the earthy, stony terroirs of the Coteaux Sud d’Epernay. With their often ample girth and intense expression of soil, the wines can sometimes veer toward the rustic, but they more than make up for it by their depth of character. Dosage is always very low, between four and eight grams, which suits the ripeness and concentration of fruit here, derived from conscientious work in the vines.