The essential elegance of Larnandier-Bernier
Our second day in champagne, we visit Sophie Larmandier Bernier and taste most of the range of their fabulously elegant wines. By Kate
Our second day in champagne, we visit Sophie Larmandier Bernier and taste most of the range of their fabulously elegant wines.
After a very good night’s sleep and a relatively leisurely breakfast, we set out for the town of Vertus in the Côtes des Blancs to taste the wonderful wines of Larmandier-Bernier.
The relatively flat land of the this part of Champagne, ringed by hills on which the vineyards lie in patchwork patterns, is an interesting contrast to the Aube which is much more piecemeal. It was a lovely, sunny day and in the bright morning light, the long road unwound beautifully smoothly. We arrived on time and drove into the gates right by the winery where we were greeted by Sophie Larmandier.
Pierre and Sophie Larmandier have run this house full time since 1988. Pierre’s father actually died in 1982 and he was very involved from then but did not take over completely till he had finished school. In the early 1990’s, they had gone on a visit to some top growers in both Alsace and Burgundy and quickly picked up the connection between the fact that the wines they most admired all came from plots of land where huge amounts of work were being done on ensuring healthy soils. They came home and immediately stopped using herbicides and all other chemicals a few years later. They converted to biodynamic viticulture in 1999 but as they farm 16 hectares, were finding it very difficult. So many of the processes with this have to happen at very specific times and if the operation is small (as theirs is – they only produce 130,000 bottles a year) with relatively few staff, it can be impossible to simultaneously administer the same treatment to all the vines.
The unlikely solution to this has been the use of helicopters to spray the treatments. It is a brilliant piece of lateral thinking actually as helicopters have long been used to spray far less benign liquids (hence a lot of the fuss about chemical drift which is naturally even worse in these circumstances), so why not use them to quite literally spread some good for a change? For the spraying of sulphur and copper which they still have to do to control mildew, they are considerably more precise but for the various biodynamic preparations, aerial application works a treat.
Sophie was telling us all of this in their pristine offices where stylish pieces of contemporary art contrast perfectly with the green of the garden through the large glass doors. These surroundings did not for a minute suggest any sort of latent hippy tendencies which I find hugely encouraging. If Biodynamic principles were the exclusive preserve of those who wear socks with their sandals I can’t help feeling it would be even more difficult to sell it to the mainstream than it sometimes is. Of course some of the least hippy wine producers in the world are ardent followers, but that is still not generally known.
Sophie explained that many of their neighbours were still pushing yields up through the use of artificial fertilizers which meant that grapes often fail to ripen properly which means that sugar needs to be added to the must before the first fermentation. The years when ripeness is achieved naturally, they run a considerable risk of developing rot and of acidity falling to unacceptably low levels. This means that most people rush to pick. Larmandier Bernier do things a little differently. They never have to chaptalize (add sugar before fermentation ) as they always harvest at a potential alcohol of about 11 %. They find that for those who have the nerve to wait, September is generally a very good month in terms of weather with lots of sun shine for further ripening and a warm north wind which makes it difficult for rot to take hold. Although 2007 is already being much derided by most, they feel that they have made some lovely wine from their harvest, thanks to following the above principles. Crucially as well – and hugely indicative of why good small grower champagnes increasingly seem to have the edge – they were able to hang on for extra ripeness, even though it meant a loss of weight in the grapes. For growers, that is complete anathema – if you are paid by weight, what possible incentive is there to lose any of that? As Sophie pointed out, the Grandes Marques (big champagne houses) established the region all over the world and made the wine the supremely iconic drink it is today which must never be forgotten for all the differences in ethos. Again however, are trying to do something different.
Bravo and vive la difference, we say!
Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs
From the 2005 vintage with reserve wines from both 04 and 02, this wine is extra brut with only 5g/litre residual sugar. Deliciously fresh, delicate citrus flavours with a richer, creamy underbelly and a subtly smoky/mineral finish. Like Gautherot, Larmandier-Bernier make wine more than anything, the bubbles are just an added feature. Drinking champagne like this makes the rest seem curiously flat and confected, lacking the zest and complexity of these.
2005 Larmadier-Bernier Vertus
100% Chardonnay from vines in the middle of the hill in the northern part of the region of Vertus, this is a cuvee that they have made since 1995. That year, while tasting the Vin Clair (base wines), they found it to be markedly better than the rest. Geologically, this patch is exactly the same as many of their other vineyards (chalk soils on the whole) but the secret is the positioning of the vines – perfectly placed for maximum sunshine.
To make a mono-cru (i.e. a champagne which comes from a single vineyard – a very avant garde idea in this region where traditionally the blend is everything) and one with no added sugar to boot, grapes which are perfectly balanced are essential and this is what they achieve from this particular vineyard. T
his wine does spend time in large old oak barrels which gives richness and complexity.
It is also always the fruit of one year but may not be sold as a vintage as it is not aged in bottle for the full 3 years which that designation requires. The amount of time spent ageing in the bottle on the dead yeast after the second fermentation is seen as an integral part of the production of champagne and one of the most important aspects differentiating this method from others employed in the making of sparkly, fizzy wines. Like others we have spoken to recently though, Larmandier Bernier are turning perceived wisdom on its head by insisting that it is in fact the time the wine spends on its lees (dead yeast) after the first fermentation which is very important, not so much the second part of the process.
Because they do not inoculate, preferring to use natural yeast, they feel that they yeast which performs the first fermentation is an integral part of the terroir (exactly what Bertrand had told us the day before). Given this, it makes perfect sense to give the wine the opportunity to absorb rich, creamy complexity from yeasts which are an integral part of their heritage, as opposed to those which are bought in to perform a function.
This is lean and smoky, like the Blanc de Blancs but the finish is richer and more multilayered, without being at all cloying. Really fabulous champagne.
2004 Larmandier-Bernier Cramant
Another 100% Chardonnay, their 2004 was very classic particularly coming after the completely atypical wines of 2003. Yields were huge in much of champagne which is often the case following a very hot year. The vines here are an average of 35 years old and there is only 2grams per litre residual sugar in this wine – the tiniest pinch.
This immediately tastes more complex and yeasty but the citrus is tighter and leaner than in the Vertus. Again, there is smoke and a richness which comes out on the finish but all in all, this tastes much less ready to drink than the Vertus, although it is still delicious.
2005 Larmandier-Bernier Rose
This is a deep, beautifully intense pink achieved by only one and a half or two days worth of skin contact. Colour comes quick in these wines, it seems! This is a Saignee rose, which means that it is 100% Pinot Noir, all of which comes from older vines in Vertus. These are still used to make a red wine which sells very well in Japan – strangely enough.
The aim with this wine was always to make something that really did taste of Rose, utterly different to their ‘white’ champagnes and in this, they have succeeded admirably with rich red fruit and spice underpinned by the same smoky minerality all their wines demonstrate. This is very different to the more subtle, ethereal roses so many make in Champagne and is all the better for it.
Our second day in champagne, we visit Sophie Larmandier Bernier and taste most of the range of their fabulously elegant wines.
After a very good night’s sleep and a relatively leisurely breakfast, we set out for the town of Vertus in the Côtes des Blancs to taste the wonderful wines of Larmandier-Bernier.
The relatively flat land of the this part of Champagne, ringed by hills on which the vineyards lie in patchwork patterns, is an interesting contrast to the Aube which is much more piecemeal. It was a lovely, sunny day and in the bright morning light, the long road unwound beautifully smoothly. We arrived on time and drove into the gates right by the winery where we were greeted by Sophie Larmandier.
Pierre and Sophie Larmandier have run this house full time since 1988. Pierre’s father actually died in 1982 and he was very involved from then but did not take over completely till he had finished school. In the early 1990’s, they had gone on a visit to some top growers in both Alsace and Burgundy and quickly picked up the connection between the fact that the wines they most admired all came from plots of land where huge amounts of work were being done on ensuring healthy soils. They came home and immediately stopped using herbicides and all other chemicals a few years later. They converted to biodynamic viticulture in 1999 but as they farm 16 hectares, were finding it very difficult. So many of the processes with this have to happen at very specific times and if the operation is small (as theirs is – they only produce 130,000 bottles a year) with relatively few staff, it can be impossible to simultaneously administer the same treatment to all the vines.
The unlikely solution to this has been the use of helicopters to spray the treatments. It is a brilliant piece of lateral thinking actually as helicopters have long been used to spray far less benign liquids (hence a lot of the fuss about chemical drift which is naturally even worse in these circumstances), so why not use them to quite literally spread some good for a change? For the spraying of sulphur and copper which they still have to do to control mildew, they are considerably more precise but for the various biodynamic preparations, aerial application works a treat.
Sophie was telling us all of this in their pristine offices where stylish pieces of contemporary art contrast perfectly with the green of the garden through the large glass doors. These surroundings did not for a minute suggest any sort of latent hippy tendencies which I find hugely encouraging. If Biodynamic principles were the exclusive preserve of those who wear socks with their sandals I can’t help feeling it would be even more difficult to sell it to the mainstream than it sometimes is. Of course some of the least hippy wine producers in the world are ardent followers, but that is still not generally known.
Sophie explained that many of their neighbours were still pushing yields up through the use of artificial fertilizers which meant that grapes often fail to ripen properly which means that sugar needs to be added to the must before the first fermentation. The years when ripeness is achieved naturally, they run a considerable risk of developing rot and of acidity falling to unacceptably low levels. This means that most people rush to pick. Larmandier Bernier do things a little differently. They never have to chaptalize (add sugar before fermentation ) as they always harvest at a potential alcohol of about 11 %. They find that for those who have the nerve to wait, September is generally a very good month in terms of weather with lots of sun shine for further ripening and a warm north wind which makes it difficult for rot to take hold. Although 2007 is already being much derided by most, they feel that they have made some lovely wine from their harvest, thanks to following the above principles. Crucially as well – and hugely indicative of why good small grower champagnes increasingly seem to have the edge – they were able to hang on for extra ripeness, even though it meant a loss of weight in the grapes. For growers, that is complete anathema – if you are paid by weight, what possible incentive is there to lose any of that? As Sophie pointed out, the Grandes Marques (big champagne houses) established the region all over the world and made the wine the supremely iconic drink it is today which must never be forgotten for all the differences in ethos. Again however, are trying to do something different.
Bravo and vive la difference, we say!
Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs
From the 2005 vintage with reserve wines from both 04 and 02, this wine is extra brut with only 5g/litre residual sugar. Deliciously fresh, delicate citrus flavours with a richer, creamy underbelly and a subtly smoky/mineral finish. Like Gautherot, Larmandier-Bernier make wine more than anything, the bubbles are just an added feature. Drinking champagne like this makes the rest seem curiously flat and confected, lacking the zest and complexity of these.
2005 Larmadier-Bernier Vertus
100% Chardonnay from vines in the middle of the hill in the northern part of the region of Vertus, this is a cuvee that they have made since 1995. That year, while tasting the Vin Clair (base wines), they found it to be markedly better than the rest. Geologically, this patch is exactly the same as many of their other vineyards (chalk soils on the whole) but the secret is the positioning of the vines – perfectly placed for maximum sunshine.
To make a mono-cru (i.e. a champagne which comes from a single vineyard – a very avant garde idea in this region where traditionally the blend is everything) and one with no added sugar to boot, grapes which are perfectly balanced are essential and this is what they achieve from this particular vineyard. T
his wine does spend time in large old oak barrels which gives richness and complexity.
It is also always the fruit of one year but may not be sold as a vintage as it is not aged in bottle for the full 3 years which that designation requires. The amount of time spent ageing in the bottle on the dead yeast after the second fermentation is seen as an integral part of the production of champagne and one of the most important aspects differentiating this method from others employed in the making of sparkly, fizzy wines. Like others we have spoken to recently though, Larmandier Bernier are turning perceived wisdom on its head by insisting that it is in fact the time the wine spends on its lees (dead yeast) after the first fermentation which is very important, not so much the second part of the process.
Because they do not inoculate, preferring to use natural yeast, they feel that they yeast which performs the first fermentation is an integral part of the terroir (exactly what Bertrand had told us the day before). Given this, it makes perfect sense to give the wine the opportunity to absorb rich, creamy complexity from yeasts which are an integral part of their heritage, as opposed to those which are bought in to perform a function.
This is lean and smoky, like the Blanc de Blancs but the finish is richer and more multilayered, without being at all cloying. Really fabulous champagne.
2004 Larmandier-Bernier Cramant
Another 100% Chardonnay, their 2004 was very classic particularly coming after the completely atypical wines of 2003. Yields were huge in much of champagne which is often the case following a very hot year. The vines here are an average of 35 years old and there is only 2grams per litre residual sugar in this wine – the tiniest pinch.
This immediately tastes more complex and yeasty but the citrus is tighter and leaner than in the Vertus. Again, there is smoke and a richness which comes out on the finish but all in all, this tastes much less ready to drink than the Vertus, although it is still delicious.
2005 Larmandier-Bernier Rose
This is a deep, beautifully intense pink achieved by only one and a half or two days worth of skin contact. Colour comes quick in these wines, it seems! This is a Saignee rose, which means that it is 100% Pinot Noir, all of which comes from older vines in Vertus. These are still used to make a red wine which sells very well in Japan – strangely enough.
The aim with this wine was always to make something that really did taste of Rose, utterly different to their ‘white’ champagnes and in this, they have succeeded admirably with rich red fruit and spice underpinned by the same smoky minerality all their wines demonstrate. This is very different to the more subtle, ethereal roses so many make in Champagne and is all the better for it.
