The name “Latitude” was chosen to characterize better this very round cuvée, with its rich, charming style. It is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes which all come from the same “latitude”: the south of Vertus. A generous terroir and grapes picked fully ripe: the Latitude cuvée is the festive Champagne par excellence, which nonetheless retains the characteristic purity of the estate’s Champagnes.
2019 base, disgorged December 2021. Latitude is 100% Côte des Blancs Chardonnay from vineyards on the southern side of Vertus. These vineyards are on roughly the same latitude, hence the name, which also hints at the breadth of texture that the wines from these sites (having more clay in the soil) tend to offer up.
In the cellar, Larmandier uses mostly large-format casks (almost all the wood now comes from Stockinger in Austria). The alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place naturally and there is no filtration. Bottles are matured over a period of more than two years are disgorged manually and dosed at low, extra-brut levels (in this case, four grams per litre) a minimum of six months before release.
Wine Advocate 91/100
Decanter 94/100
Wine Spectator 92/100
About the winery: Larmandier-Bernier numbers among the Côte de Blanc's—and Champagne's—finest estates. Based in Vertus, the Larmandier family farm organically and harvest late, vinifying the resulting wines in wood. The result is vinous, elegantly muscular Champagnes that are concentrated but precise. In a region that still produces far too many meager, brittle wines, Larmander-Bernier reminds us of the plenitude and texture of which great Champagne is capable.
As remarkable for their consistency as their quality, any wine that bears this family’s label is well worth seeking out.
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