Product Profile
Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru
Light-Medium Bodied, Dry, Sparkling, Chardonnay, Drink now or cellar, 12% alc.
Tasting Notes
This is made from 100 per cent Chardonnay (from Vertus 1er cru, and Grands Crus Cramant, Avize and Oger), a classic aperitif style – in the best sense of that term. The blend is predominantly 60 per cent 2007 and 40 per cent reserve wine from previous vintages along with a minuscule dosage of 4gm. An absolute cracking wine - intense, tangy, pure and long - that would put most so called 'prestige cuvees' to shame.
“The NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru is elegance personified. Smoke, minerals, chalk and pears emerge as this generous yet subtle wine opens up in the glass. Sweet floral notes develop with air, but minerality is this wine’s calling card, particularly on the finish, which is incredibly elegant and refined. Simply put, this is gorgeous juice.” 91 points - Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate
Producer
Larmandier-Bernier
The estate is meticulously run by Pierre Larmandier and his wife Sophie. Pierre’s family has owned vineyards in the Côte des Blancs since the Revolution. The estate is now 15 hectares, predominantly in Vertus, at the Southern tip of the Côte des Blancs, yet there are also holdings in Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Avize. The vineyards are biodynamically worked and the average age of the vines is 35 years; most Champagne vineyards are considered ‘old’ and due for replanting at 20 years. Yields are kept very low by Champagne standards, 50 hl/ha on average. Larmandier-Bernier has been rated as one of Champagne’s top five producers.