Larmandier-Bernier Longitude 1er Cru Extra Brut
Larmandier-Bernier Longitude 1er Cru Extra Brut
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Larmandier-Bernier Longitude 1er Cru Extra Brut

Larmandier-Bernier
$90.00

Grape: Chardonnay
Vintage: NV
Type: Sparkling

This sparkling wine is a premier cru blanc de blancs drawn from Larmandier-Bernier's parcels running north to south along the Côte des Blancs, the line of longitude the name refers to. Where Latitude comes from the warmer slopes south of Vertus, Longitude stitches together chardonnay from several chalk villages into one cuvée. Longitude is the more chiseled, mineral of the 2 non-vintage wines.

It pours a pale straw-gold with a fine bead, opening with lemon zest, white flowers, and crushed chalk. On the palate, the light-to-medium-bodied frame balances taut citrus with a fine, creamy texture. Fresh bread and a saline mineral note sit underneath. A bright, "vertical" line of acidity drives through the center. It finishes long, precise, and chalky.

Winery

The Larmandier and Bernier families have worked vines in the Côte des Blancs since 1765, and Philippe Larmandier and Elisabeth Bernier joined them under one name in 1971, building their cellar in Vertus. Their son Pierre returned in 1988 with his wife Sophie, gave up herbicides, and by 1999 farmed the whole estate biodynamically and fermented with native yeasts in wood. Today Pierre and Sophie work with their sons Arthur and Georges on 19 hectares of their own vines, more than 90% chardonnay, in the grands crus of Cramant, Avize, and Oger and the premier cru of Vertus. The estate never buys grapes; it grows by buying vineyards.