In the spirit of SommSelect celebrating its fourth anniversary this summer, I’m putting particular focus on truly world-class Champagne. With that in mind, I spent the last week twisting arms to gain access to a small allocation of today’s classic.
Historically, there’s never much of Guy Larmandier’s spectacular Premier Cru Brut Rosé to go around. After all, this is an extremely limited-production wine, a favorite of sommeliers and writers around the globe (Jancis Robinson MW says Larmandier is one of only two “superior” artisan estates in Vertus), and it originates from a historic family that played a crucial role in redefining the region over the last quarter century. I’ve written about how Champagne’s small grower-producers staged a revolutionary takeover, steering the status quo from “big house” production toward artisanal craftsmanship. Guy Larmandier was one of the original, cottage-scale Champagne pioneers to break through onto the international stage and the wines remain some of the region’s best. With its classic Côte de Blancs refinement, minerality, and elegance married to a decadent blast of red fruit, today’s wine—the only rosé in the Larmandier lineup—proves that quality in this small cellar is higher than ever. We don’t have much to share today, so I advise you to move quickly!
[*NOTE: This wine is only available on pre-arrival and will be shipping from our warehouse the week of Monday, July 9th]
From my vantage point, the independent “grower” revolution has had an overwhelmingly positive and democratizing impact on Champagne. Success in the region is less dependent on corporate dollars and advertising than ever before. Across the board, the region’s wines strike me as generally more pure, more vineyard-specific and less driven by ‘house style’ considerations than in the past. Still, given that there are over 16,000 independent grape growers in the region but only a handful of truly gifted winemakers, it’s not always a sure bet to assume the grower-produced wine is the better one. Guy Larmandier is both a small independent estate and one of the true stars of the region. This is not an estate built on marketing hype or, conversely, a quaint story—it’s truly one of the greats.
The Larmandier family’s vineyards and modest cellar are situated in Vertus at the southern base of the Côte des Blancs. The family farms nine hectares of vines, spread across the Grand Cru villages of Chouilly and Cramant, Premier Cru village Cuis, and the “home turf” Premier Cru vines in Vertus that produce today’s exquisite rose. In a bountiful harvest year, Larmandier bottles around 6,000 cases of wine—and far less in challenging years. This is a straightforward, modestly scaled estate in every regard. All fruit is harvested by hand and wines are aged on lees for a minimum three years before disgorgement.
Guy Larmandier’s Premier Cru Vertus Brut Rosé is a blend of 85% classic Côte de Blancs Chardonnay, and 15% Pinot Noir. These are classic varieties planted in undeniably world-class soil and you better believe it tastes like it! The Côte des Blancs is revered for producing some of the most elegant and refined Chardonnay in existence and today’s wine delivers it in spades. There’s an immediate sense of deep, chalky minerality forming the foundation of each sip before a cascade of detailed aromas unfurl on the nose: Fresh cut roses, pluot, red berries, exotic dried spices, and the ever present sense of crushed stone. This isn’t just some pleasant sparkling apéritif; it’s a deeply complex and layered wine that only develops further with brief exposure to oxygen. I might even go as far as to call it a “red meat Champagne.” I opened two bottles last weekend and served to a rowdy patio full of friends alongside a mixed platter of braised lamb shanks, grilled pork tenderloin, and ponzu-glazed local sea bass collars. Whereas many Champagnes would wilt in the presence of such robust cuisine, today’s wine rolled up its sleeves and provided plenty of power and electricity to keep up. This is a phenomenal wine and a valuable reminder that Champagne remains one of the most ubiquitously useful wines at the table. Cheers!
