Larmandier-Bernier - Vieilles Vignes du Levant Grand Cru Extra Brut 2015

The most flamboyant, muscular wine in the cellar this year is the 2015 Blanc de Blancs Vieille Vigne du Levant. Produced from two old-vine plots (one planted in 1962 and the other in the late 1930s) of east-facing vines within the Bourron du Levant lieu-dit in Cramant and matured in a combination of Stockinger vat (50%) and 228-liter and 500-liter barrels, it’s full of pastry-forward notes mingling with ripe citrus, walnut and pear. Full-bodied and enveloping, it’s the most powerful rendition since 2012. Layered and with old-vine concentration and succulent yet vibrant acidity, this is a wine of controlled richness, concluding with an expansive, mineral-laced finish informed by its chalk subsoil (under a thin layer of clay). Originally known as Vieille Vigne de Cramant, this was the first single-vineyard Champagne created by Pierre Larmandier in 1988, and it has maintained a strong record since.

Larmandier-Bernier ranks among the Côte des Blancs's—and Champagne’s—finest producers. In 1988, when Pierre and his wife, Sophie Larmandier, took over the estate, cultivating vines was far less common, to say the least, than it is today. Soon after, in the early 1990s, they began working the soils of their vineyards and abandoned the use of herbicides, transitioning to organic and then biodynamic farming. Based in Vertus, the Larmandier family now farms 20 hectares organically (certified since 2004, which coincides with the year they initiated their perpetual blend), including vines in Vertus, Cramant, Avize, Oger and Chouilly. They harvest late, at full ripeness, and have been fermenting with native yeasts since 1999. Depending on the wine, vinification takes place in tanks, concrete eggs and oak barrels of different sizes (mostly from Stockinger), with no new oak used for the vintage-dated cuvées. They believe that using little to no dosage is important to allow the terroirs to properly express themselves—a logical approach given their vinous style. The result is elegantly muscular Champagnes that are concentrated yet precise. In a region that still produces too many meager, brittle wines, Larmandier-Bernier reminds us of the plenitude and texture that great Champagne can offer.

The range begins with two non-vintage blanc de blancs bottlings: Latitude, which is broad and charming, and Longitude, which is more chiseled and incisive in style. Then come three vintage cuvées: the powerful, age-worthy Vieille Vigne du Levant from Cramant; Les Chemins d’Avize from the eponymous village; and the vividly mineral and tensile Terre de Vertus. The richly flavored Rosé de Saignée cuvée complements the portfolio, now joined by small quantities of still red and white Côteaux Champenois. About 30 years later, Pierre and Sophie’s sons, Arthur and Georges, have joined the family business and are now taking on an increasing role.