Tasting notes: The nose is very aromatic with superb aromas of white flowers, lime blossom combined with a great minerality with notes of salt, limestone, chalk and citrus. It evolves slowly towards more gourmet flavours of bergamot, candied fruit and pastry. On the palate, the wine is initially tense with iodine and acidic notes. Then fullness and smoothness take over the palate with exotic, apricot and fruit tart flavours. The finish is extremely long with a very subtle oxidation on grilled, smoked and spicy notes. This racy cuvée is best enjoyed with roast lobster or lamb with lime and rosemary.
Pierre and Sophie Larmandier and their sons Arthur and now Georges too (joined September 2021) are determined to make wines as true as possible to their origins in their different vineyards. These are split into around fifty separate parcels spread across the Côte des Blancs in the grand cru villages of Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Avize, and the premier cru of Vertus.
All but three of the parcels (representing 0.5 hectares) are farmed using non-officially certified biodynamic methods. Wines are made only from their own 15 hectares of vines, which are on average 33 years old. All of their Champagnes are the purest expressions of Chardonnay.
Working only with natural yeasts the influence of 'terroir' is all important to the style of his wines, so much so that he uses a minimum 'dosage' (if at all) so as not to mask the wines natural characteristics.
Pierre has recently changed the 'Tradition' cuvée, re-launching it as 'Latitude', and it is now also a Blanc de Blancs, with its origins in the vineyards south of Vertus. The old 'Blanc de Blancs cuvée, which is known henceforth as 'Longitude', comes exclusively from vineyards on the Cote de Blancs itself and is classified Premier Cru'.
The Pinot Noir is now reserved exclusively for Pierre's distinctive dark rosé and for the Vertus Rouge Coteaux Champenois.
Awarded the Robert Parker Green emblem in July 2021.
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