Larmandier-Bernier: Great Grower and "one of the finest estates in the Côte des Blancs"

Sophie Larmandier (Larmendier-Bernier) and Robert Walters (Bursting Bubbles) both refer to Pierre Larmandier (Proprietor, Larmendier-Bernier) as the Monk of Vertus, "... not only for his devotion to great wine, cheese, and charcuterie ... also for a certain ascetic, almost puritanical element of his personality that reminds us of the monastery ... And there are the wines that he produces ... wines of great purity, monuments of restraint that are one more nod to the monastic." Peter Liem (Champagne) refers to the estate as being one of the finest in the Côte des Blancs. I explore the estate and its wines in this post.

The 15-ha estate is comprised of vineyards in the Premier Cru village of Vertus and the Grand Cru villages of Cramant, Chouilly, Oger, and Avize. The vineyard plots average 33 years and are planted to Chardonnay (85%) and Pinot Noir. The various Larmandier-Bernier terroirs are illustrated in the chart below.

Larmandier-Bernier had a history as two separate estates stretching back to the French Revolution but came together as a single entity with the marriage of Philippe Larmandier and Elisabeth Bernier in 1971. Pierre, the current proprietor, was away at school when his father died but his mother insisted that he complete his studies before coming back and taking control of the enterprise. He returned in 1988.

Prior to Pierre taking the reins, Larmandier-Bernier operated in a "traditional" fashion. Once he took control, however, he began moving the company in a different direction, influenced, in part, by the work of Anselme Selosse and his wife's aversion to the widespread use of chemicals in Champagne vineyards. The chart below shows estate practices pre-Pierre and how those have been altered during the course of his stewardship.

The key to the Larmandier-Bernier wine is the ability to harvest fully ripe grapes. Walters sees this ability being driven by:

• Biodynamic viticulture
• Balanced yields
• Minimal fertilizers
• Precise pruning 
• The nerve to wait.

According to Larmandier-Bernier, its recipe for high quality grapes is:

• Old vines
• Working the soil (The estate feels that ploughing promotes deep roots and facilitates healthy soils)
• Moderate yields
• No fertilizers
• Mature grapes picked by hand.

After harvesting, the grapes are brought to the cellar where they are gently pressed (bladder press) to release the purest juice possible. Each cru is vinified separately (using indigenous yeasts) in one of several fermentation vessels: small Austrian oak, large Austrian oak, stainless-steel tanks, or enamel-lined stainless steel tanks. The wines undergo malolactic fermentation and are held on the lees (with some stirring) until blending/bottling.

The wines are bottled in the July following the harvest and are then taken down to the cellars for aging. The Larmandier-Bernier portfolio of wines are shown below.

In addition to its cuvées, Larmandier-Bernier produces two still wines: (i) Vertus - a Pinot Noir made from old Vertus vines. This wine is macerated for 12 days and aged in cask for 18 months. (ii) Cramant Nature -- Chardonnay from the Cramant vineyard which is barrel-fermented and aged for 18 months.


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