Champagne Larmandier-Bernier “Longitude” Extra Brut (Premier Cru)
“To create a wine that deeply expresses its terroir is Pierre Larmandier‘s aim… But to this fastidous grower, terroir in itself is not enough. ‘Terroir is to wine what the score is to music,’ he suggests. ‘What’s the point if the grape variety, the vine plant (the instrument) and the winegrower (the performer) are not up to standard?’ Some growers are known for their focus on the vines, others for their attention in the winery, but few find a balance in every detail like Pierre Larmandier.” – Tyson Stelzer, The Definitive Guide to Champagne
Pierre Larmandier holds close to 37 acres of vines, 33 years old on average, all in Premier and Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs. Biodynamically certified since 2004, he describes himself as an “organo-realist,” as one must be cultivating vines in this most northern of production zones. Naturally moderate yields and site-specific indigenous yeast fermentation allows Pierre to extract the character of each vineyard parcel. A light but measured hand in the cellar preserves that character in the bottle.
Champagne Larmandier-Bernier cuvée “Longitude” is made exclusively from Chardonnay grown on the Côte des Blancs from the Premier Cru Vertus, and the Grand Crus Oger, Avize, and Cramant, which form a line close to the 4th meridian. The base consists of 2012 vintage juice (60%) blended with reserve wines made through all vintages from 2004 to 2011. The wines are left on their natural lees for nearly a year and undergo gentle bâtonnages. After blending and bottling, maturation occurs over a period of more than two years. A further six months of resting takes place after disgorgement. The dosage is a low four grams per liter (Extra Brut).
In the glass, the tremendous chalk minerality of these villages are manifested from start to finish. With a richness belying its minimal dosage, notes of lemon, apple and pear are backed by toast, grassy meadows and epic length. This Champagne pairs especially well with late brunch and spring birdsong.
, Vincent Mongeard, is obviously not a Mugneret. But his grandmother was. And in 1945, when Vincent’s father, Jean Mongeard, decided to bottle his wines instead of selling off barrels to other estates, he combined the last names of his parents, who had worked the land before him, as the name of his winery.
All parcels are worked sustainably (la lutte raisonée) with a focus on soil health. Fruit is harvested exclusively by hand and manually sorted in the winery. Fermentation begins naturally with indigenous yeasts.
“Les Dames Huguettes” (Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits)
~$53 Fixin (2014)
~$62 “Vieille Vigne” (Fixin 2017)
“Les Narbantons” (Savigny-Lès-Beaune Premier Cru)
~$80 Vosne-Romanée (2017)
~$89 “Les Orveaux” (Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru 2014)
~$62 “Les Plateaux” (Nuits-St-Georges 2014)
“Les Boudots” (Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru)
$99 Gevrey-Chambertin (1996)
$108 “Les Cras” (Vougeot Premier Cru 2017)
Clos de Vougeot (Grand Cru)
$198 Échezeaux (Grand Cru 2017)
$279 “La Grande Complication” (Échezeaux Grand Cru 2017)
Grands-Échezeaux (Grand Cru)
When her grandmother passed away the family moved to Lyon and she began the process of studying viticulture. The plan was that she would make the wine using fruit from the family’s domaine and her father would sell it. Unfortunately, her father died young and she would have to go it alone.
Pierre Bart is the sixth generation at Domaine Bart. Since 2009 he’s been running the 54 acre domaine along with his uncle, Martin. His grandmother comes from the same family as Domaine Bruno Clair, explaining why there are holdings in the Grand Crus of Bonnes-Mares and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, as well as Santenay. Indeed, a good portion of the estate’s holdings come from the split of the renowned Domaine Claire-Daü between Domaine Bart and Domaine Bruno Clair (even another portion was sold off to Louis Jadot). Prior to the split, Domaine Claire-Daü was one of the most heralded and respected producers in the region, nearly single-handedly bringing the appellation of Marsannay its current status.
Pierre and Martin’s wines are balanced and classic Burgundy, understated with grace and elegance. It begins in the vineyard with sustainable and organic farming practices on every parcel. Each parcel is worked by hand according to its specific microclimate. The use of new oak is judicious and depends on the parcel. According to Pierre, “We make very fruity wines in classic style. The main words at our domaine are fruit and balance, balance between fruit, acidity and tannins. So we don’t produce big extracted wines. We try to respect the fruit.”
$36 “Les Echezots” (Marsannay)
reputation for making some of the world’s greatest wines. 
Maxime Thienpont, was tapped to manage the estate. The vineyards enjoy good southeasterly exposure and a continuous gentle breeze. The soil types are mixed, with the parcels on the plateau being limestone, while the slopes are a mixture of clay, limestone, and chalk.
La Raison d’Hêtre (Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 2017)
Clos Saint Patrice was identified as one of the best Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards in the directory L’annuaire de Vaucluse.
$144 Domaine Saint Patrice “Clos Saint Patrice” (Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016)
~$53 Domaine Saint Patrice “Vieilles Vignes” (Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016)
~$16 Domaine Saint Patrice “Vieilles Vignes” (Côtes-du-Rhône 2016)