2016 Champagne Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Terre de Vertus Blanc de Blancs

Highly Rated
Incredible zero dosage Blanc de Blancs Champagne from this renowned organic grower-producer. Mineral purity at its peak.

Price:
Sale price$250.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 1 unit left
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Description

Pierre and Sophie Larmandier are crafting some of the finest Champagnes of the modern era, and this is arguably their most famous single site cuveé.

They take a much more natural approach to their craft than most in the region, managing their 15 hectares in the south of Côte des Blancs biodynamically (highly unusual for Champagne) and opting for a more hands-off approach in the cellar. Their ferments are wild and often long, they keep the dosage low across their range of cuveés, producing dry, mineral-charged wines with incredible drive and purity.

The Terre de Vertus is taken from neighbouring plots, Les Barillers and Les Faucherets, around half-way up the famed slopes of Vertus.

The main aim here is to present a fiercely individual representation of the terroir. No dosage, wild ferment, natural malolactic fermentation, this is as pure as an expression of Champagne as you will find. It has 8 years on lees before disgorging.

It's one of the most thrilling and sought-after Champagne wines to hit Australian shores.

96 points
"The 2016 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Terre de Vertus 1er Cru is fabulous. Comprised of 100%Chardonnay from two mid-slope parcels in Vertus, it is perfumed and exotic, with striking aromatics. This cuvée straddles the line between still and sparkling wine. Lime, mint, white pepper and chalk lend tons of high-toned character. The 2016 is really quite compelling."
- Antonio Galloni (Vinous)

*Notes from the importer*

Disgorged November 2022. Terre de Vertus is one of three single-terroir Blanc de Blancs produced at this estate and certainly the most famous. It is from a parcel of vines on the chalky mid-slope of Vertus, traversing the 1er Cru lieux-dits of Les Barillers and Les Faucherets. These sites produce intensely mineral wines that recall the best of Le Mesnil (to the north) in their chalky raciness and drive.

This fermented naturally, with roughly 60% fermented and aged in neutral barrique and the other 40% in large Stockinger casks. Malolactic conversion began spontaneously, and the wines were left on their lees for nearly a year. After the second fermentation, the wine aged in bottle for another six years before being disgorged. There is no dosage in order to respect the purity of the terroir. The result is one of the most distinctive and mineral wines of the entire Champagne region—and one of the benchmark wines of the great grower movement.

Since the mid-‘90s, this wine has always been non-dosé—long before it was fashionable. The Larmandiers made the decision because this particular terroir (when farmed in their way: old vines, biodynamics, low yields, etc.) works best without any additions. Still very young and brimming with textural richness and energy, the new release shows a little more flex than the previous vintage. Courtesy of an especially low-yielding year high in dry extract, the palate is buoyed with freshness and the chalky finish is incredibly long and scintillating. Try it with oysters, terrine, hard cheeses, roast chicken or grilled white fish.

96 points - "The 2016 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Terre de Vertus 1er Cru is fabulous. Comprised of 100%Chardonnay from two mid-slope parcels in Vertus, it is perfumed and exotic, with striking aromatics. This cuvée straddles the line between still and sparkling wine. Lime, mint, white pepper and chalk lend tons of high-toned character. The 2016 is really quite compelling. Bottled with no dosage." - Antonio Galloni (Vinous)

17.5/20 points - "Like a broad arrow, burnished, powerful, driving smoke and cracked caramel from beginning to end with tremendous purpose. Roasted oatmeal. So much density it’s almost more of a meal than a drink. Warm, gingery spices. Salt and sour butter and bitter orange peel. A wine that challenges you, broad-chested heart to rib-caged heart. A wine with rhythm, beat, purpose. All-encompassing." - Tamlyn Currin (jancisrobinson.com)

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