{"product_id":"larmandier-bernier-longitude-blanc-de-blancs-extra-brut-nv-base-21-disg","title":"Larmandier Bernier 'Longitude' Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV (Base 21 Disg.)","description":"\u003cp\u003eLike this grower’s Latitude, this is 100% Côte des Blancs Chardonnay (the vineyards are in Cramant, Avize, Oger and Vertus), yet the vineyards have thinner topsoils so the vine roots plunge straight into the chalky bedrock. The name refers to the vertical nature of the geographic locations of the vineyards as well as the style of wine resulting from the chalky soils of these sites. While Larmandier’s Latitude is expansive across the palate, the Longitude is all about minerality, line and raciness. William Kelley has called this wine “one of the finest non-vintage bottlings to be found in Champagne”, and the high ratio of reserve wines should leave you with little doubt as to the quality on offer. This bottling is based on the 2021 vintage, with 40% reserve wine drawn from a ‘perpetual’ reserve started in 2004.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA considerable increase in intensity and tension compared to Latitude, Larmandier's excellent NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Longitude is crafted from a 2021 vintage base (60%) and combined with a perpetual reserve component. Disgorged in April 2024 with two grams per liter dosage, it is medium-bodied, taut and incisive in personality. Sourced from the villages of Vertus, Oger, Avize, Cramant and Chouilly, it offers aromas of white flowers, citrus fruit and oyster shell. Tangy acidity, informed by the long and cool growing season, with mineral-laden undertones, leads to a chalky, long-lasting finish. Expect a tauter, less ample Champagne compared to the last year’s edition. \u003cstrong\u003e92 pts, Kristaps Karklins, The Wine Advocate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLarmandier-Bernier ranks among the Côte des Blancs's—and Champagne’s—finest producers. In 1988, when Pierre and his wife, Sophie Larmandier, took over the estate, cultivating vines was far less common, to say the least, than it is today. Soon after, in the early 1990s, they began working the soils of their vineyards and abandoned the use of herbicides, transitioning to organic and then biodynamic farming. Based in Vertus, the Larmandier family now farms 20 hectares organically (certified since 2004, which coincides with the year they initiated their perpetual blend), including vines in Vertus, Cramant, Avize, Oger and Chouilly. They harvest late, at full ripeness, and have been fermenting with native yeasts since 1999. Depending on the wine, vinification takes place in tanks, concrete eggs and oak barrels of different sizes (mostly from Stockinger), with no new oak used for the vintage-dated cuvées. They believe that using little to no dosage is important to allow the terroirs to properly express themselves—a logical approach given their vinous style. The result is elegantly muscular Champagnes that are concentrated yet precise. In a region that still produces too many meager, brittle wines, Larmandier-Bernier reminds us of the plenitude and texture that great Champagne can offer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe range begins with two non-vintage blanc de blancs bottlings: Latitude, which is broad and charming, and Longitude, which is more chiseled and incisive in style. Then come three vintage cuvées: the powerful, age-worthy Vieille Vigne du Levant from Cramant; Les Chemins d’Avize from the eponymous village; and the vividly mineral and tensile Terre de Vertus. The richly flavored Rosé de Saignée cuvée complements the portfolio, now joined by small quantities of still red and white Côteaux Champenois. About 30 years later, Pierre and Sophie’s sons, Arthur and Georges, have joined the family business and are now taking on an increasing role. \u003cstrong\u003e Kristaps Karklins, The Wine Advocate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"fivewaycellars","offers":[{"title":"750ml","offer_id":49367521198198,"sku":"23353","price":170.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0061\/3331\/7750\/files\/3577_Image1_1a267640-8ae3-41fd-8847-8f924cb196f6.jpg?v=1794522388","url":"https:\/\/fivewaycellars.com.au\/products\/larmandier-bernier-longitude-blanc-de-blancs-extra-brut-nv-base-21-disg","provider":"Five Way Cellars","version":"1.0","type":"link"}