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2014 LARMANDIER-BERNIER Les Chemins d'Avize Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru Cramant, Lea & Sandeman

LARMANDIER-BERNIER

2014 Les Chemins d'Avize Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru

Grapes Chardonnay
Colour White
Origin France, Champagne
Other Bio-dynamic, Certified Organic
Classification Grand Cru
ABV 12.5%

Chardonnay from two plots in Avize in the 2014 vintage, vinified in small foudres and casks. With five years on lees, this opens with classical praline and buttered sourdough notes before some restrained pineapple and candied grapefruit takes hold. A touch of savoury leaf character and maple/candied nut character is adding complexity now, the exotic and outgoing style of Avize tempered with beautiful mineral focus. Tom Hewson Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Dec 2022)


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Disgorged in June 2021, Larmandier-Bernier's 2014 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Les Chemins d'Avize is still tightly wound, unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, crisp yellow orchard fruit, almond paste, vanilla pod and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, it's deep and concentrated, with ripe but racy acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, concluding with a long, chalky finish. This is a more charming, immediate rendition of this cuvée than its 2013 predecessor, but it will still reward at least a few years on cork. Drinking range: 2021 - 2038 Rating: 96 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Jan 2022)

The 2014 Extra Brut Les Chemins d"Avize Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is fabulous. Rich, ample and potent, the 2014 possesses tremendous density from start to finish. Apricot, spice, dried flowers, graphite and lemon confit all build in a Champagne of enormous resonance. The pedigree here is evident. Chemins d"Avize is a blend from the Chemin de Plivot and Chemin de Flavigny lieux-dits. It was vinified in neutral oak and bottled with dosage of two grams per liter. Disgorged: June, 2021. Drinking range: 2021 - 2029 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Nov 2021)

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier

Pierre and Sophie Larmandier and their sons Arthur and now Georges too (joined September 2021) are determined to make wines as true as possible to their origins in their different vineyards. These are split into around fifty separate parcels spread across the Côte des Blancs in the grand cru villages of Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Avize, and the premier cru of Vertus.

All but three of the parcels (representing 0.5 hectares) are farmed using non-officially certified biodynamic methods. Wines are made only from their own 15 hectares of vines, which are on average 33 years old. All of their Champagnes are the purest expressions of Chardonnay.

Working only with natural yeasts the influence of 'terroir' is all important to the style of his wines, so much so that he uses a minimum 'dosage' (if at all) so as not to mask the wines natural characteristics.

Pierre has recently changed the 'Tradition' cuvée, re-launching it as 'Latitude', and it is now also a Blanc de Blancs, with its origins in the vineyards south of Vertus. The old 'Blanc de Blancs cuvée, which is known henceforth as 'Longitude', comes exclusively from vineyards on the Cote de Blancs itself and is classified Premier Cru'.

The Pinot Noir is now reserved exclusively for Pierre's distinctive dark rosé and for the Vertus Rouge Coteaux Champenois.

Awarded the Robert Parker Green emblem in July 2021.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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