It’s a blessing to be able to offer Guy Larmandier’s Grand Cru Cramant “Brut Zéro” to our entire mailing list today, as there are less than 40 cases of it available in the US. For many great minds of the wine world—and me, personally—this is one of the most definitive and consistently electrifying expressions of this historic, 900-person village.
Stephen Tanzer says Larmandier’s Cramant (not to be confused with “crémant,” a style of sparkling wine outside of Champagne) is “extremely pure” and possessing “superb clarity and expression of flavor.” The Wine Advocate likens it, quite accurately I say, to “top-drawer, old-school Chablis” while Antonio Galloni describes it as showing “outstanding persistence on the palate and the pure breed of a first-class wine.” Not to be out-hyperbolized, Jancis Robinson MW says Larmandier is one of only two “superior” artisan estates in its hometown appellation. And you know what? It’s all true. As a village, Cramant is revered for producing among the most powerful, luxurious Chardonnay-based wines in Champagne and few estates lift it to such impressive heights as Larmandier. Still, while Jacques Sellosse’s Cramant costs upwards of $700 and Pierre Gimonnet’s is $150, today’s classic, gold-labeled bottle remains one of the finest values in all of Champagne at an extremely fair price. I only wish there was more to share!
I’ve said before that the independent “grower” revolution has had an overwhelmingly positive and democratizing impact on Champagne. Today, 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 seldom 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. 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 fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks before aging in bottle for a minimum of three years. Though Larmandier does bottle a ‘brut,’ this is their ‘brut zéro’—meaning no sugar was added after disgorgement!
Though sipping today’s wine evokes the chalky hillsides of Cramant and bushels of fresh, yellow apples, my first thought when drinking Larmandier’s Cramant is how “expensive tasting” it is, however unsophisticated that sounds. Despite being completely dry (brut zéro), this wine just overflows with a luxuriousness and a sense of class that recalls my favorite Grand Cru Burgundy and, or course, other wines in Champagne that fetch a far higher price on the collector market. It’s a hard thing to pinpoint, but you’ll know what I mean as soon as you pull the cork on this beauty. The finesse of the mousse, the fine details of floral and citrus aromas, and the absolutely endless finish that seems to echo for minutes after each sip—this is a truly remarkable wine. Larmandier has been regularly recognized in the press for bottling Champagne with exceptional cellar potential, so don’t hesitate to set a few bottles aside. A few extra years in the cellar will only serve to flesh out its already luscious fruit while softening its intensely structured profile. Still, there’s no point in denying that this is a ripping, ‘drink-right-now’ bottle. Simply pour it into standard white Burgundy glasses and serve alongside a mixed platter of sashimi and freshly shucked oysters (see the attached link for a ‘how-to-shuck’ guide). With a wine this stately and complex, you don’t need complicated cuisine—just let it speak for itself!
