2004 Champagne Larmandier Bernier, Extra Brut Vieille Vignes de Cramant GC

From 75 year old vines, on gentle south-east facing slopes, this is possibly the sine qua non of Growers’ Champagne. Half of the first fermentation took place in 225 litre barriques, followed by a 48 month ageing. The result is astonishing, with generous and ripe fruit and yet an almost taut vinous character. Herbs, gunflint, almonds and tilleul complete the picture, which is nothing short of a masterpiece, a wine which will repay keeping and continue to develop and astound over time.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

Larmandier-Bernier, Vieille Vigne de Cramant Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2004 Champagne is filigree and very tight and dense – yet with some delicacy. A hint of something floral and then very lifted. Should have quite a future but not painful to drink now. Very fresh indeed. I would give it a bit longer in bottle ideally.
Rather oaky and serious on the nose. Very serious and complex. Not heavyweight, unusual structure.

...I can’t stress enough what great value is to be found among the better growers’ champagnes – those made by the people who grow the vines, as opposed to the wines blended by the big houses from grapes they buy in (and, in some cases, grow themselves). I don’t mean that these growers' champagnes are necessarily cheap. But if you want wines with real personality and balance – not tart, astringent, sweetened-up fizz – then look carefully at artisan producers...
(Jancis Robinson MW, www.jancisrobinson.com & Financial Times - 03-Apr-09 & 12-Dec-09 )

The 2004 Extra Brut Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes de Cramant explodes from the glass with an array of earthiness, smoke and lime peel in a sensual, utterly rapturous style. The Vielles Vignes de Cramant is a little more generous than the Nature Terre de Vertus, but the wine’s richness has been achieved while maintaining superb precision and elegance. It’s all here in this gorgeous, captivating old-vine Champagne. Here dosage is 2 grams, still miniscule in the grand scheme of things.

These wines from Pierre and Sophie Larmandier are exceptional in every way. Larmandier practices a non-interventionalist philosophy in the vineyards with an emphasis on low yields. A similar approach is taken in the cellar, where the wines are fermented with natural yeasts and bottled with low or no dosage in order to exalt the qualities of the sites the estate works with. The Larmandier-Bernier Champagnes are some of the purest and most utterly engaging wines being made in the region today. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
(Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - Dec 08)