Hailing from Côte des Blancs’ illustrious and southernmost village of Vertus, Larmandier’s “Latitude” is an outrageously delicious, fully biodynamic blanc de blancs Champagne with zero peers in its price range. Truly, for under $60, there are no arguments or differing opinions to be had: Today’s biodynamic Chardonnay cannot be outmatched!

For decades, Pierre has drastically cut yields, focused on minimal intervention, and quietly released flawless, deeply expressive bottlings in minute quantities. Ask Champagne guru Peter Liem and he’ll tell you this is “one of the most sensible and diligent regimes in Champagne,” or you can continue reading and accept what we say at face value: Pierre Larmandier is (1) among the most respected custodians of Chardonnay in the entire region and (2) a full-blown superstar in the realm of grower-producers. Haven’t heard the name before? It’s understandable. Artisanal producers like Larmandier-Bernier don’t have salaried marketers or PR accounts for around-the-globe promotion, instead, Pierre lets his exceptional, small-batch Champagnes do all the talking. Today’s is from a cluster of vineyards in Premier Cru Vertus, all within the same latitudinal range. It’s equipped with barrel aging, old reserve wines, and a low dosage which further amplifies the extreme generosity of fruit and supple minerality at play. This is not lean and mean and searingly mineral Champagne! It’s invitingly soft, vibrant, and dangerously hard to put down; a paragon of naturally farmed Chardonnay from an industry-leading grower. 

Although both the Larmandier and Bernier families have worked the vines for centuries, they remained separate until the marriage of Philippe Larmandier and Elisabeth Bernier in 1971. After the death of Philippe in 1988, his son, Pierre, returned to Champagne and was given full autonomy over the estate. He and his wife Sophie have been implementing artisanal practices ever since. At the behest of Sophie, all vineyards were organically converted and biodynamic viticulture soon followed. To this day, she leads the administrative front and serves as his support system. Pierre himself says “It is difficult to be without her...we share everything.” They are a true husband-and-wife team that has expanded upon the grower movement that the great Anselme Selosse created.

Now, onto the terroir. The Côte des Blancs runs south from Epernay and is a treasure trove for Champagne’s most prestigious and sought-after Chardonnay. A pound of grapes here can fetch some of the highest prices in the world, so you can understand why the majority of growers sell off their crop to large Champagne Houses. Pierre’s “Latitude” is sourced from estate vineyards that run east-to-west—hence the wine’s name—within the Premier Cru village of Vertus, located at the southern tip of the Côte des Blancs. His vines average 30-35 years of age and their roots are dug into clay and chalk soils. Compared to the rest of Champagne, Pierre harvests his grapes at high levels of ripeness, so even before the second fermentation, the wine isn’t abrasively acidic, it’s already well-rounded. An indigenous yeast fermentation occurs in large-format barrels and the wine continues to mature here well into the following year. Upon bottling without fining or filtration, the base vintage, 2016 for this parcel, is married with 30% reserves (aged in a combination of large foudres and stainless steel vats) from a perpetual blend first started in 2004. Once in bottle, the wine sits on its lees for at least two years before a manual disgorgement and a light dosage of four grams. Each bottle ages six additional months before leaving the cellar. 

In the glass, Larmandier-Bernier “Latitude” reveals a bright straw-yellow core with light golden reflections flitting throughout. The nose is creamy and invites you in with green and yellow apple, white flowers, lemon blossoms, Anjou pear, pineapple core, crushed chalk, almond, brioche, ginger, white mushroom, and raw honey. This is a supremely textured and rounded Chardonnay juxtaposed with taut acidity that’s driven home by a soft mineral presence. The wine rounds out with creamy accents of vivid yellow-white fruit and finishes bright. Despite being ready to drink now, a wine of this magnitude will go the distance and a few years of bottle age will allow it to achieve even higher levels of profundity. That said, this is fully ready to impress now. Enjoy around 50 degrees in wide-mouthed tulips and watch your bottle disappear in record time. Cheers!