Larmandier-Bernier

Pierre and Sophie Lamarndier are without a doubt true kings of Chardonnay in Champagne. For them, choosing to farm their vines biodynamically wasn't a reaction to a trend, rather an absolutely necessary step to communicating the extraordinary terroir of their parcels in the wine glass. Their 15ha vineyard falls in the 1er Cru area of Vertus and the Grand Cru appellations of Cramant, Chouilly and Avize. Naturally, the harvest is done by hand and no yeast is added - another rare practice in Champagne. The grapes are pressed extremely gently and each Cru is vinified individually. The base wine is bottled in May and taken down to the cool cellars cut into the chalk where they begin a long élevage in peace. Dosage depends on the cuvée, however, Pierre and Sophie like to keep this to a minimum to allow the terroir to speak at its loudest. We did, however, manage to persuade them to make a palette of non-dosé magnums for us of cuvée Longitude in 2012.