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194 Champagne Grand Cru AC 2004 Extra Brut, Vieille Vigne de Cramant
Larmandier-BernierGrape:100% Chardonnay (12.5% alc.)
Pierre’s top champagne comes from very old vines (48 to 75 years) with a southeastern aspect in the beautiful hilltop village of Cramant (where the 50cm of topsoil is richer than Vertus). Aged 50% in cuve and 50% in two to five year old barrels, it naturally has a touch more weight and depth of fruit than the Blanc de Blancs. It is an exquisite champagne with a rarely matched balance and finesse (just 2g/l of dosage), chalky depths of flavour and great length. Limited quantity. For drinking now to 2012.
Technical Information Winemaker: Pierre Larmandier Location: Cramant Size of
domaine:15 hectares Grape: 100% Chardonnay, massale selection. 45 to 75 years old Terroir: South-east facing vines, on gentle slopes. Tertiary sands and clays overlying soft cretaceous chalks (50 to 60cm of soil). Top soil in Cramant richer than that of Vertus according to Pierre. Viticulture: Certified organic, has practiced bio-dynamic viticulture but refuses certification as he doesn’t agree with Demeter allowing cultured yeasts to be used during winemaking. Plough to aerate the soil and force vine roots deep in search of minerals and nutrients. Mechanically weeds around the foot of each vine. Has raised the vine leaf canopy from 1.20 to 1.35 metres to obtain extra photosynthesis to produce higher natural sugar levels in the grapes. Mixes nettle infusion with Bordeaux mix to reduce copper levels when spraying against mildew. Hand-harvest. Search for optimum maturity. 50 hectos per hectare yield. Vinification: Press very gently using a pneumatic press. The 1er taille is often very good indeed and is usually incorporated. Only uses natural indigenous yeasts. Vinification 50% in 225ltr barrels (2 to 6 years old) and 50% in cuve. Single vintage only (no reserve wine). The wine is left on the fine lees during the winter and the malolactic is carried out spontaneously. The wine is filtered lightly before bottling in May. The vintage is kept for a minimum of 3 years sur latte post bottling in a deep underground cave. All the bottles are disgorged manually with a dosage of 2g/l made from concentrated grape must. Press: