Champagne Larmandier Bernier, Extra Brut 1er Cru Rosé de Saignée, Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France

Producer Profile

Averaging 33 years of age, Larmandier-Bernier’s 15 hectares of vineyards lie on the spectacular terroirs of the Côte des Blancs:

Vertus, a 1er cru village, as well as the Grand Crus Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Avize. According to Pierre and Sophie Larmandier, “the creation of a great Champagne, like the creation of any great wine, begins in the vineyard.” This philosophy is why they manage their vineyards biodynamically, harvesting their grapes manually at optimal ripeness to produce extraordinary expressions of each terroir. Fermentation using natural yeasts in a mixture of stainless steel vats, wooden casks and barrels, together with long, slow ageing at either Brut Nature (0 g/l) or Extra Brut (2-5 g/l) allows for the clearest of expressions.

Viticulture

This cuvée is produced from the Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris grapes picked in Vertus, where the two varieties grow together in the same plot of old vines. It’s made by macerating the berries for a few days, a technique not commonly used in Champagne.

Winemaking

The "saignee" technique is rarely used in Champagne; the Pinot grapes are selected on a sorting table, partially destemmed and then macerated for 2 to 3 days. After that, come the natural alcoholic fermentation (indigenous yeasts) in a tank or in concrete eggs, the malolactic fermentation and then the maturation on the lees for nearly a year. The tirage is carried out at the end of July. The wine is aged for at least another 2 years in the cellars, and the bottles are disgorged 6 months before being marketed with a discreet dosage of 2 g/l.

Tasting Note

Maceration, which is an original choice in Champagne, brings both fruit and fine aromas to this rosé with character. Cinnamon, spice, rose petals and dried herbs make this Rosé distinctly aromatic and savory.

Food Matching

This Rosé Champagne is ideal as an aperitif and also with a tuna-fish tartare or delicate meats.