LARMANDIER-BERNIER Latitude

The NV Cuvée Latitude Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs from Larmandier Bernier is composed of Chardonnay exclusively from the same latitude on the southern edge of Vertus. A generous terroir and grapes picked fully ripe: the Latitude cuvée is the perfect festive Champagne, which nonetheless retains the characteristic purity of the estate’s Champagnes. This non-vintage cuvée contains 40% of wines coming from the estate’s perpetual reserve started in 2004.

The grapes are pressed gently, the juices are clarified very slightly and then go directly into wood. The natural alcoholic fermentation (indigenous yeasts) and the malolactic fermentation begin spontaneously in the Stockinger wooden vats and casks. The wines are matured on the lees during their first year, with no filtering or fining being carried out. The blending and the bottling are carried out end of July. The bottles are taken down into the coolness of thecellars, where the second fermentation takes place and maturation “on laths” goes on for at least two more years. The dosage is only 2 grams/litre (extra brut).

It is a big, vinous wine with a well-balanced acidity. Bold, ample and large on the palate, Latitude exudes power. Dried apricot, roasted nuts and spices are pushed forward in a rich, creamy wine that reflects the personality of these clay-rich soils. With time in the glass, this classy and elegant wine gains freshness, volume and intensity.

William Kelley, December 2024, Robert Parker / The Wine Advocate 91/100 points : The latest rendition of Larmandier-Bernier’s NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Latitude is based on the 2021 vintage (60%), vinified entirely in wood and complemented by a perpetual blend dating back to 2004. Parcels on richer soils, mostly east- and southeast-facing, deliver rounder, fuller-bodied wines, and this holds true even in the context of the 2021 vintage. Unfurling from the glass with scents of pear, acacia and pastry, it is more ample than the Longitude, with ripe yet vibrant acidity and a pillowy mousse. Disgorged in February 2024 with a dosage of three grams per liter, it will make for a great comparison when tasted alongside the Longitude.