Larmandier-Bernier Les Chemins D'Avize Grand Cru Extra Brut 2016
128.42₣ (Exc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / Switzerland
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Blanc de Blancs Les Chemins d'Avize, disgorged in April 2024 with a dosage of two grams per liter, is a particular success. Hailing from Le Chemin de Flavigny and Le Chemin de Plivot, located in a flat part of Avize at the bottom of the slope, these are some of the last plots to be harvested, as the fruit ripens more slowly here. Vinified in 20-hectoliter Stockinger vat and barrels of various sizes, it was matured on its lees for 10 months. Informed by the concentration of 50-year-old vines, lower-than-average yields due to mildew pressure and a late-ripening season, it opens from the glass with aromas of marzipan, baked bread, lemon zest and beeswax. Elegantly muscular and vividly chalky, it’s layered and harmonious, underpinned by bright acidity, leading to a precise, long-lasting finish. A more tense, higher-acid version than 2015, it has more in common with the personality of the 2013 vintage.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
12.5%
Grapes
Serving
Between 10ºC and 12ºC
Winemaking
Minimum ageing of 5 years in bottle before disgorgement.
Description
In the chalky heart of Avize, where the chalky soil is unabashedly lean and demanding, Pierre and Sophie Larmandier brought to life a long-held intuition: to isolate the purest expression of this exceptional terroir. Although the desire had been there for a long time, it was only in 2009, with the acquisition of a small press, that they succeeded in vinifying separately two contiguous plots: Chemin de Plivot and Chemin de Flavigny. From vines over 60 years old, Larmandier-Bernier Les Chemins D'Avize Grand Cru was born, a Grand Cru Champagne with an incisive and mineral personality.
Larmandier-Bernier Les Chemins D'Avize Grand Cru Extra Brut, made exclusively with Chardonnay from the village of Avize, completes the trilogy of singular Champagnes of the maison, together with Vieille Vigne de Cramant and Terre de Vertus. The aim is clear: to let the soil speak, without make-up, without ornamentation. And it is precisely the austerity of the soil that gives the wine its precise structure and depth.
Winemaking
The grapes for Larmandier-Bernier Les Chemins D'Avize Grand Cru are gently pressed; the must is barely decanted and sent directly to Stockinger oak barrels. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place there spontaneously, thanks to indigenous yeasts. The wine rests for a year on its lees, without fining or filtering. Then, after bottling, the second fermentation and ageing on the lees in the bottle lasts for more than 6 years. Each bottle of Larmandier-Bernier Les Chemins D'Avize Grand Cru is disgorged by hand one year before release, with a minimum dosage of 2 g/l.
Taste
Right from the start, Larmandier-Bernier Les Chemins D'Avize Grand Cru shows a precise nose, with notes of white flower, green apple, lemon zest and a delicate background of toasted bread. The palate is taut, linear, with a cutting, almost saline minerality, evoking wet chalk. The palate is filled with white grapefruit, fresh almond and a slight citrus bitterness that prolongs the finish. The bubbles are very fine, more texture than effervescence. A Champagne sculpted in stone, for those who seek purity, verticality and truth in every sip.
Shipping to Switzerland
50% discount on orders over 377.56₣*Estimated transit time: 6-7 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over 377.56₣* |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | 22.80₣ | 11.40₣ (-11.40₣) |
| 7-12 | 28.22₣ | 14.11₣ (-14.11₣) |
| 13-18 | 34.83₣ | 17.41₣ (-17.41₣) |
| 19-24 | 43.80₣ | 21.90₣ (-21.90₣) |
| 25-30 | 49.08₣ | 24.54₣ (-24.54₣) |
| 31-36 | 54.75₣ | 27.37₣ (-27.37₣) |
| 37-42 | 58.52₣ | 29.26₣ (-29.26₣) |
| 43-48 | 60.41₣ | 30.20₣ (-30.20₣) |
| 49-54 | 66.07₣ | 33.04₣ (-33.04₣) |
| 55-60 | 71.74₣ | 35.87₣ (-35.87₣) |
| VAT not included | ||
** Shipments to Switzerland include transport costs, insurance and export costs (SAD in origin), but not customs duties (SAD at destination) and local taxes.
***At Gourmet Hunters wine prices are exempt from 21% VAT for all shipments to Switzerland. Once in your shopping cart select Switzerland as delivery address to enjoy your order tax free.
Appellation Map
Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Brut Nature 2017
78.10₣
74.22₣/ud (-5%)
Others: 2015 Magnum
Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Brut Nature 2015 Magnum
164.71₣
Others: 2017 75 cl.
Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Extra Brut
50.10₣
47.61₣/ud (-5%)
Other sizes: Magnum, Doble Magnum
