Larmandier-Bernier - Les Chemins d'Avize Grand Cru Extra Brut 2015

The wine team - champagnen.se

THE CHAMPAGNE SOMMELIER

Incredibly good and overwhelming like a Batard-Montrachet. I had no idea that the eminent grower used oak barrels, but here there is no doubt that just the stylish barrel note in a Diebolt Fleur de Passion fashion paired with an Avize Jacquesson-like elegance provides something magical. Magnificent and elegant from the start with room for even greater experiences in the future.

Jeb Dunnuck

From a very small parcel of 0.7 hectares in Avize, the 2015 Champagne Les Chemins D'Avize is slightly more straw-colored and takes on lush aromas in its spicier profile, with a touch more oak presence as well as a note of ripe orange zest. It brings more intensity to the palate as well, with full-bodied richness, a fluffy mousse, and a long, persistent, and savory finish. It takes on more concentration and richness, with salty mineral earth notes and lots of depth. An impressive wine, it will take time to blossom fully. Drink 2025-2045. 2 grams per liter dosage.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2015 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Les Chemins d'Avize opens in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, verbena, fresh pasty, vanilla pod and fresh herbs. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and chalky, with a vinous, rather concentrated profile and bright acids, it's a little compact out of the gates but appears to be built to age with grace.

As I've written before, Larmandier-Bernier numbers among the Côte de Blanc's—and Champagne's—finest estates. Based in Vertus, the Larmandier family farms 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. The range begins with two non-vintage Blanc de Blancs: Latitude, broad and charming; and Longitude, more chiseled and incisive. Next come three vintage cuvées: Vieille Vigne de Levant, from Cramant; Les Chemins d’Avize, from the eponymous village; and the Terre de Vertus. Two perfumed rosé de saignée cuvées complement the portfolio, now joined by small quantities of still red and white Côteaux Champenois. This year sees the release of a one-off Blanc de Noirs, produced from grapes deemed too ripe for rosé production in the 2015 vintage.

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