CHAMPAGNE LARMANDIER

CHAMPAGNE LARMANDIER-BERNIER
Estate newsletter - May 2007
Hello! The 2006 blends are finished and have been bottled. The bubbles have barely begun to form in
the coolness of our cellars, and already we are back in the vineyards. After a month of April with its
more than summery weather, the vines are a month ahead of the calendar! "Flowers in May, flowers in
July", the saying goes, and today the big question is therefore the date of the 2007 harvest ...
Elisabeth , Sophie et Pierre
"Organic wines ready to play in
the big league... »
This title for an article by Marc
Miannay in a daily newspaper in
April caught our attention. It named
several remarkable organic wines
and concluded as follows: "You
should remember that these wines
are exceptions: it's necessary to be
cautious about most products which
claim to be "organic". If the yields
are too high and the winemaking not
properly controlled, "organic" grapes
will never produce grands crus".
These comments sadden us, but
true, it's not just because it's
organic that it's good. This
condition seems essential to us, but it is not sufficient. The process you must follow to produce a great
wine should be coherent from the vine to the glass. What's the point of making organic wines if the
vines are too vigorous, because the plants are too productive or because too much organic fertiliser has
been used? What's the point of making organic wines if the vineyard is badly situated and never sees
the sun? What's the point of making organic wines if you harvest your grapes before they have
achieved full maturity and then chaptalise them with organic sugar, etc…
Vertus, May
13th 2005: 4 leaves
May 14th 2007: 12 leaves already!
At Larmandier-Bernier, the life of our soils, the root system of our old vines and our well-located
terroirs are our three fundamentals.
So that these fundamentals can work together in harmony, we cultivate our vines without using any
synthetic chemicals. The application of biodynamic preparations is a means to enhance all these efforts.
The objective of this work is to harvest grapes that are healthy, that have excellent gustatory qualities
and are, above all, well balanced. They will thus reveal the authentic character of their terroir and their
vintage.
These qualities enable us to make our wines as naturally as possible with very little sulphur, with
natural yeast and a prolonged maturation on the lees. After a few years of ageing, Larmandier -Bernier
Champagnes have very little dosage, or no dosage at all, added to them: the balance and the character
are already there in the wine.
Take the 2003 vintage which is leaving our cellars this month as a concrete and topical example. If we
had listened to the "specialists", the acidity measured after the heat-wave of 2003 was insufficient. It
was necessary to acidify the wines, they said; it was impossible to do otherwise. Yet in 2003, as in
other years, we trusted our grapes, because we knew where they had come from and the care we had
put into growing them. We didn't hesitate for one second: we added nothing at all so that this very
particular vintage could express itself.
Today when we taste these wines, we are happy to savour their amazing richness and their great
freshness. What if it were the minerality, derived from the soil thanks to the deep root system of the
vines, which gave the wines this liveliness? And as a bonus, the tenderness of their texture which
remains intact.
CHAMPAGNE LARMANDIER-BERNIER — 19 avenue du général de Gaulle — 51130 VERTUS
Tél +33 (0)3 26 52 13 24
Site: www.larmandier.fr
—
Fax +33 (0)3 26 52 21 00
e-mail: [email protected]
See over for press review ...
PRESS REVIEW :
DECANTER
Visit www.larmandier.fr to get whole articles...
SMALL IN SIZE, BIG IN CHARACTER Delve into the niche world of grower Champagnes and you'll find
May 2007
great value and a fascinating range of styles. Tom Stevenson picks his top ten.
All of these growers farm their vineyards
according to sustainable viticulture except Larmandier-Bernier, who is biodynamic.
SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE Australia
23
avril 2007 Pass the glass, hold the sugar By Peter Forrestal What excited me about
my visit to the small biodynamic Champagne grower Larmandier-Bernier was its focus on producing wines from individual villages.
PROEFSCHRIFT
Pays-Bas
31 janvier 2007 Verborgen champagneschatten Echte trouvailles : Nog werkelijk onbekend in ons
land, maar wat mij betreft van bewezen topniveau, zijn Pierre Larmandier van Larmandier-Bernier in Vertus.
L'UNION
16 janvier 2007 On les cite dans tous les magazines spécialisés. Ce sont les chantres de la culture sans phytosani-
taires chimiques. Ce ne sont pas des « bio », mais plus encore, des « biodynamie »... Pierre Larmandier fait partie de ce petit
groupe de vignerons qui ont décidé de se lancer dans une viticulture que certains qualifient « d'ésotérique ». Grand bien leur en
a pris. Ils contingentent tous leurs bouteilles… On y croit ou pas. Cependant, il est évident qu'en dégustant le Blanc de
Blancs ou le Cramant de Pierre Larmandier, on sent la terre vibrer.
GAULTMILLAU
Décembre 2006 / janvier 2007 Ce soir, on dîne au champagne…
Sélection des plus belles bulles pour vos plats
Pour accompagner un médaillon de langouste au gigembre : Champagne Larmandier-Bernier premier cru Terre de Vertus.
LA REVUE DU VIN DE FRANCE
Décembre 2006 / janvier 2007 Maisons et vignerons, l’éclat du Champagne
De grands vi-
gnerons élitistes comme Egly-Ouriet, Larmandier-Bernier ou Anselme Selosse élaborent des Champagnes racés, réguliers et
d’une parfaite maîtrise de vinification. Pierre Larmandier est un exemple pour la viticulture champenoise. Travail des sols, respect de la plante par la pratique de la biodynamie, rendements mesurés… Un respect le plus total du terroir. L’ensemble de la
gamme est remarquable avec une expression parfaite des grands crus (Cramant) et premiers crus (Vertus) qui composent le
domaine.
CÔTE CAVE
Hiver 2006 Femmes en Champagne Le Champagne a toujours fait bon ménage avec les femmes. Cécile Bonne-
fond, PDG de Veuve Cliquot, Béatrice Cointreau, PDG de Gosset et Sophie Larmandier-Bernier, de la maison du même nom, le
prouvent au quotidien. Trois femmes, trois styles, trois réussites. Rencontres !
OMNIVORE
Décembre 2006 Le vin dans sa bulle Sophie et Pierre Larmandier assument sans sourciller 15 hectares en biody-
namie. Les vins gardent le profil droit, le nez précis et la bouche fraîche.
L'EXPANSION
Décembre 2006 Et buller de Plaisir ! Larmandier-Bernier Vieille vigne de Cramant Grand Cru : L'expres-
sion du terroir prévaut sur ce vignoble cultivé avec le plus grand soin. Magnifique illustration avec cet
extra-brut 100% chardonnay, né de vieilles vignes sur le superbe terroir de Cramant. Pureté, droiture, délicatesse, finesse, profondeur… La signature habituelle d'une maison dont la notoriété ne cesse de grandir.
L'EXPRESS
13 décembre 2006.
Larmandier-Bernier Grand Cru 2002.
THE CUISINE MAGAZINE JAPON
DER FEINSCHMECKER
12 december 2006
12 Dezember 2006
Nicht nur das moderne Weingut von Sophie und Pierre Larmandier zeigt Stil,
auch die Champagner des jungen Paares haben Klasse.
TIME MAGAZINE
Small Sips Sampling some of the best small-producer Champagnes by Peter Gumbel THE SPECIAL-
Dec. 11, 2006
IST GROWERS A young new generation of small growers is making a name for itself by challenging conventional wisdom about
how to make Champagne.
THE OBSERVER
Sunday December 10, 2006
My festive fizz for 2006 Nothing kicks off the Christmas season like the pop of a
cork. So keep your party bubbling over with Tim Atkin's essential guide to the very best of this year's sparkling wines.
Best grower's champagne : Champagne Premier Cru, Non-Dose, Terre de Vertus, Larmandier-Bernier
GUIDE LE FIGARO
5 décembre 2006
Délicats Blanc de Blancs
Suggestion : Champagne Larmandier-Bernier grand cru
extra-brut vieille vigne de Cramant
LE FIGARO
La soif de liberté des vignerons Extra-brut Grand Cru Vieille Vigne de Cramant 2002 : Grâce à
2 Décembre 2006
une viticulture très respectueuse, Pierre Larmandier donne une belle intensité et une incroyable profondeur à son Cramant, ce
qui souligne encore plus son velouté.
LE MONDE
2 Décembre 2006
Champagne le guide complet Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus : Un vin non-dosé mais
dont la maturité des raisins a permis une finale remarquable, savoureuse et tout en finesse.
CHAMPAGNE LARMANDIER-BERNIER - 19 avenue du général de Gaulle - 51130 VERTUS - Tel : +33 (0)3 26 52 13 24