Guy Larmandier, Vertus Brut Zero, 1er Cru, Champagne, France, NV

Overview of the Wine
Guy Larmandier is a producer that makes us wonder how many times we have to re-discover the wheel. The Cult of the Champagne Grower feels like a fairly new thing in wine circles. After all, back before Larmandier-Bernier hit the scene, everyone just drank Veuve Clicquot and the other Big Champagne Houses. Right?

That's not how Neal Rosenthal remembers it. He's been importing grower-made Champagnes from Guy Larmandier since 1982. A small, quiet community of wine-lovers have been appreciating his wines for decades. Almost all of them were in New York, and none of them were on Instagram. But they knew their wine, and their adoration for this little secret was very real.

When Neal met Guy, he, like his brother Philippe (founder of Larmandier-Bernier), was growing grapes in the Chardonnay-friendly villages of the Côte des Blancs, including the famous Grand Cru of Cramant. He farmed only nine hectares, about the size of a small domaine in Burgundy.

He and his family (after Guy's death, his wife and sons now run the estate) have always had a light touch with dosage. But global warming has given them riper grapes, and at Rosenthal's suggestion they've started to produce zero-dosage cuvées. This was not about fashion—that's just not Rosenthal's thing—but rather an adjustment that he felt was needed to maintain the wine's balance and terroir-expression in changing climes.

Sustainable.

Grape / Blend
90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir

Origin
Champagne, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Sporting a markedly floral, chalky nose, this Vertus 1er Cru has a schiseled frame of a brut zero but it is not excessively bone-dry on the palate—the ample character typical of the village manifests itself in a round overall texture. The wine is firm without being hard, with a great interplay of supple fruit and intense stoniness. Comprised of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, aged for 3 years on the lees before disgorgement.

Product size: 750ml