Champagne Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Rosé De Saignée NV (6 Bottles)

by Fine Wine Cellars

$1,385.00 GST Included

AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

2018 base (100%), disgorged January 2021 For this cuvée, the grapes–a co-planted blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Gris–were allowed to macerate for several days before the juice was drawn off. This soak provided the colour and much of the body and flavour to the wine. This saignée technique is now rare in Champagne, primarily as it is a demanding method of vinification that requires grapes with an excellent degree of maturity. Hence most rosé in Champagne is made by the addition of a little red wine. Vive la difference!

Cut from the same cloth as previous releases, the 2018 vintage bottling was drawn entirely from what are thought to be the oldest Pinot Noir vines in Vertus (45 years old), and one of its very last 100% Pinot vineyards. As with all Larmandier’s wines it was naturally fermented. Part of this cuvée was raised in a Nomblot concrete egg and part in stainless steel, and more recently Larmandier has been trialling amphora as well.

It’s one of Champagne’s wow wines, repeatedly compared to a Chambolle-Musigny, a Champagne that can stop drinkers in their tracks. This release is so fine and pretty (don’t serve it ice cold!) yet also equally intense with the typical red-fruited, grenadine and rose aromas and flavours, a bright, fine yet chalky personality and a long saline, smoky close. Although it drinks beautifully on its own, it has the depth to go with smoked or grilled salmon. Yes, do that–you won’t regret it! This bottling was disgorged with a discreet dosage of three grams per litre. It is a superb release that will be even better with a year in the cellar.

“The new rendition of Larmandier-Bernier’s NV Extra Brut Rosé de Saignée has turned out very nicely, unwinding in the glass with aromas of orange rind, red berries, pear, white flowers and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, bright and fleshy, with an enveloping core of fruit, racy acids and delicate phenolic presence, it’s still a little tightly wound–especially compared with last year’s especially explosively aromatic release–but it should blossom beautifully in time for summer and beyond.” 93 points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

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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

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