Producer Profile
The Larmandier family has been contributing to the reputation of the Côte des Blancs since the French Revolution: working the vines has been written in the history of the Larmandier and Bernier families since 1765. In 1971, with his wife Elisabeth Bernier, Philippe Larmandier created today’s champagne house by combining their two names. Biodynamic viticulture is at the heart of their production: they were one of the first wineries in the world to be awarded the Robert Parker Green Emblem for achieving outstanding levels of sustainability. They changed the stainless-steel maturation tanks for casks and wooden vats to let the wine breathe during maturation. They don’t buy any grapes for their production, to ensure only their terroir is represented across their champagnes. The grape varieties are mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The wines are aged on the lees for nearly a year, without racking or filtration. Their philosophy is ‘making wines before making bubbles’, which explains the importance of yeast for the development of a good wine. Larmandier-Bernier is a champagne which represents very good value for money, their Latitude and Longitude cuvées start at around GBP 45.
