One of the most underrated estates in the Côte des Blancs, the Guy Larmandier name is a testament to finesse over power. The style is dominated by Chardonnay from the village of Vertus, the over-performing Premier Cru and where the legendary houses (like Bollinger, Taittinger, and Roederer) also farm and source grapes. Following the traditional practice of blending, it's a splash of red wine made from Pinot Noir that gives this rosé its eye-candy hue and mouthwatering red fruits. Imported by Rosenthal Wine Merchant, all Guy Larmandier Champagnes are left on their lees until destined for the US market, to ensure integrity and freshness. Bottled unfined with a minimal dosage (6 g/l), the purity of terroir unrolls in the glass and sums-up the very best of Vertus — cold chalk, baked clay, and a hint of citrus spice.
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.
