Champagne Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Terre De Vertus Blanc De Blancs 2016 (6 Bottles)

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Terre De Vertus Blanc De Blancs 2016 (6 Bottles) - Image 2

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Terre De Vertus Blanc De Blancs 2016 (6 Bottles) - Image 3

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Terre De Vertus Blanc De Blancs 2016 (6 Bottles)

by Fine Wine Cellars

$1,274.00 GST Included

AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

Terre de Vertus is one of three single-terroir Chardonnay wines produced at this Estate and is certainly the most famous. It is from the chalky 1er Cru vineyard plots of Les Barillers and Les Faucherets, situated mid-slope in Vertus. These sites make arguably the most explicitly mineral wines of the village; wines that can recall the best of Le Mesnil (to the north) in their chalky raciness and drive.

This was fermented naturally and aged 60% in neutral barrique and 40% in large wooden Stockinger cask. Malolactic fermentation began spontaneously (without inoculation) and the wines were left on their natural lees for nearly a year. After the second fermentation the wine was aged in bottle on cork and there was no dosage addition at disgorgement 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–a wine which is today regarded as one of the touchstone wines of the great grower movement.

This wine has always been non-dosé–since the mid 90’s, 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. The 2014 is a superb Terre de Vertus, very classic in style. You can expect a wonderfully fine, savoury dry white that offers complex hints of bosc pear, fresh salt, earth, preserved lemon and chalk. It’s ultra-fine and pure and although it is terrific now (don’t be scared to decant!), you will be amply rewarded if you can rest it for three to six years on cork. Try it with oysters, terrine, hard cheeses, roast chicken or grilled white fish.

“Disgorged in January 2020, the 2014 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Terre de Vertus is a fine follow-up to the excellent 2013 and 2012 renditions. Unwinding in the glass with scents of white flowers, citrus oil, crisp orchard fruit, fresh pastry and almonds, it’s full-bodied, layered and vinous, with more richness and mid-palate amplitude than the tauter 2013, underpinned by racy acids and chalky structuring extract.” 94+ points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

Category: Blanc de Blanc

Tasting Notes
Winery

Description

About Larmandier-Bernier

“Few growers’ ranges in Champagne are as consistently outstanding as that of Larmandier-Bernier,” Andrew Jefford, The New France

“In a region where vineyard work is not always given the priority it deserves, Larmandier-Bernier is a model of what can be achieved through conscientious and diligent care in the vines.” Peter Liem, Champagneguide.net

“Pierre and Sophie Larmandier craft dramatic, vinous wines of real personality and class. Sustainable farming practices, indigenous fermentations and aging in cask are some of the cornerstones of an approach that yields distinctly potent, textured wines full of character.” Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Today we offer the superb new releases from this stellar grower. The new bottlings of Latitude, Longitude and Rosé de Saignée all draw on the impressive (if small) 2019 vintage, and we can happily offer these wines in a range of formats that include extended lees aging. The new single-terroir cuvées also stem from a range of vintages: Terre de Vertus from 2015 (six years on lees); Chemins d’Avize from 2014 (seven years on lees); and Vieille Vigne du Levant (over eight years on lees). Finally, Larmandier has released the second vintage of its new Rosé de Maturation. Following over six years in bottle, the 2014 offers a totally different experience from the Rosé de Saignée: it’s a more layered, fleshy and complex wine. Across the board the quality is, once again, awe-inspiring.

Like other benchmark growers, this is a producer that keeps evolving and reaching ever-greater heights. The wines still have the energy and intense minerality they have always offered, and now there is even more depth, layers and complexity. In part this is due to an increase in the lees aging cycle, which the Larmandiers now deem essential to the expression of their wines. For some time, Pierre and Sophie Larmandier have also indicated their wish to age their Champagnes for even longer before release, and the new, underground maturation cellar now grants them this opportunity.

Fine Wine Cellars

On the one hand, our role as a merchant of all things wine & spirits could not be simpler. We aim to source the most delicious, the most authentic, and the highest quality products possible from Australia and around the world in order to offer them to our clients. We live or die by how well we perform this task. Of course things are rarely as simple or as easy as they seem. Hunting for wines & spirits is no different. Apart from the months spent travelling, countless days and evenings spent tasting and the outrageous wine expenditure in the name of ‘research’, sourcing quality wine and spirits requires expertise and experience. Understanding the potential of a producer and their products is much more than just a slurp and a spit.