$420.00
– Sold Out| /
Region: Champagne
Grapes: Chardonnay
First Glance: Orchard Fruit, Brioche, White Florals, Complex
Acclaim: 96+pts
The Wine:
Disgorged September 2022. This Blanc de Blancs was historically labelled Vieille Vigne de Cramant. Nothing has changed save for the name, which is now inspired by the vineyard where most of the grapes come from, Bourron du Levant (planted in 1960). The balance comes from a 0.5-hectare holding in the neighbouring terroir of Le Fond du Bâteau (with 75-year-old vines).
Both plots are at the heart of Cramant’s southeast-facing slopes on the flanks of the Butte de Saran. Basking in the first rays of the morning sun, these vineyards give wonderfully ripe, layered wines. The old vines’ deep root system combines with the terroir to bring a wine of glowing density and opulence. It offers a fascinating, concentrated and stone-fruited contrast to the other Larmandier cuvées (not to mention other producers’ Cramant wines). It remains a super-mineral wine, but here you have more flesh, weight and body.
The winemaking across each of Larmandier’s single-terroir wines is similar. Here, it is spontaneous fermentation and malolactic conversion, 12 months in large Stockinger barrels and no filtration. This cuvée, however, spends at least eight years in bottle on lees. This release was disgorged with 2 g/L dosage.
The Review:
William Kelley, Wine Advocate - 96+pts
"The Larmandier family excelled in this cooler vintage, so it's unsurprising that the 2013 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant has turned out beautifully. Wafting from the glass with notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, brioche, white flowers, oyster shell and honeycomb, it's medium to full-bodied, deep, layered and incisive, with a tangy spine of acidity, terrific tension and a long, racy finish.”
