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"an intense, concentrated, richly fruity champagne, gourmand and gastronomic champagne"
Tasting notes:Rosé de Saignée Extra-Brut from Larmandier-Bernier is an intense, concentrated, richly fruity champagne, gourmand and gastronomic.
It is made using the free-run technique, uniquely from Pinot Noir old vines on the Vertus terroir where the champagne house Larmandier-Bernier is established. This method, little used in Champagne, consists of allowing the grapes to macerate for a few hours or up to a few days, depending on the desired result.
For this Rosé de Saignée Extra-Brut, Pierre and Sophie Larmandier have chosen a maceration of 2 days duration which has given this cuvee its deeply intense color and distinctive aromas. It is then vatted, and matured on its lees over winter before being bottled and laid in the cellars for around 2 years for full aromatic development.
The great quality, maturity and concentration of the Pinot Noir grapes permit a very light dosage. Larmandier-Bernier Rosé de Saignée Extra-Brut will go marvelously well with wild smoked salmon or venison with cranberry sauce, and is also delicious on its own.
94 / 100 Parker
Disgorged in January 2020 with two grams per liter dosage, Larmandier-Bernier's NV Extra Brut Rosé de Saignée (2017 base) is the newest release. It shows very nicely, bursting with aromas of orange, raspberries, cherries and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and incisive, its pretty and expressive fruit tones are complemented by racy acids and a pillowy mousse.
Pierre and Sophie Larmandier and their sons Arthur and now Georges too (joined September 2021) are determined to make wines as true as possible to their origins in their different vineyards. These are split into around fifty separate parcels spread across the Côte des Blancs in the grand cru villages of Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Avize, and the premier cru of Vertus.
All but three of the parcels (representing 0.5 hectares) are farmed using non-officially certified biodynamic methods. Wines are made only from their own 15 hectares of vines, which are on average 33 years old. All of their Champagnes are the purest expressions of Chardonnay.
Working only with natural yeasts the influence of 'terroir' is all important to the style of his wines, so much so that he uses a minimum 'dosage' (if at all) so as not to mask the wines natural characteristics.
Pierre has recently changed the 'Tradition' cuvée, re-launching it as 'Latitude', and it is now also a Blanc de Blancs, with its origins in the vineyards south of Vertus. The old 'Blanc de Blancs cuvée, which is known henceforth as 'Longitude', comes exclusively from vineyards on the Cote de Blancs itself and is classified Premier Cru'.
The Pinot Noir is now reserved exclusively for Pierre's distinctive dark rosé and for the Vertus Rouge Coteaux Champenois.
Awarded the Robert Parker Green emblem in July 2021.
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