Champagne Larmandier-Bernier, Rosé de Saignée, Extra Brut
Critics reviews
Antonio Galloni - The Wine Advocate, 31st Oct 2011
Antonio Galloni - 31/10/2011
About this WINE
Champagne Larmandier-Bernier
Pierre Larmandier’s reputation continues on its upwards trajectory and La Maison Larmandier Bernier is now perceived as one of the greatest addresses in Champagne.
The ingredients for this success are many and varied; biodynamic viticulture, wonderfully old vines, fantastic locations and aspects for the vines, and a non-intervention approach in the winery to mirror the respect for nature in the vineyards.
Nothing out of the ordinary on the face of it, but when all elements are joined together the results are little short of outstanding. The perfect expression of the purest Chardonnay.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
The ingredients for Larmandier-Bernier’s success are many and varied; biodynamic viticulture, wonderfully old vines and a non-intervention approach in the winery to mirror the respect for nature in the vineyards. Nothing out of the ordinary on the face of it, but when all elements are joined together the results are little short of outstanding.
Made by the unusual (for Champagne) and tricky technique of prolonged skin contact with the juice, you can almost taste that extra degree of texture not generally seen in rosé Champagne. The main player here is Pinot Noir, uncommon in the Côte des Blancs, and this location tempers the fruit, giving a finesse to the subtle black cherry, rosehip and lightest touch of strawberry. Drinking beautifully now as an apéritif, it develops a delicate savoury note with a little bottle age, pairing well with rabbit or game birds.
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