Larmandier Bernier
Larmandier Bernier is one of those maisons that have made natural and sustainable approach in the vineyard and cellar their strength and the fundamental premise for the production of high-level, expressive, and territorial champagne. The credit goes to Pierre Larmandier who, in 1988, left Paris to return to his hometown, Vertus in the Vallée de la Marne, and to continue the family winemaking business, with the help of his mother Elisabeth Bernier and his wife Sophie.
The vineyard area of Larmandier Bernier now amounts to 16 hectares, mainly cultivated with Chardonnay and scattered, besides Vertus, in the Grand Cru of Cramant, Choully, Avize, and Orger. The average age of the vines exceeds 40 years, and Pierre's work is aimed at limiting yields per hectare and allowing the roots to penetrate deep into the soil. Since 1992 he has not used synthetic chemical products and since 2004 he has switched to biodynamic cultivation. Pierrebelieves strongly in the balance of nature, in the natural defenses of plants, and in the necessity of cover cropping: “If we used herbicides, what would happen to all those microorganisms and earthworms that have found refuge among our vineyards? It is thanks to them that the soil breathes, that the roots find nourishment in the depths of the earth, that our vines are safe from diseases.”
The Champagnes of Larmandier Bernier are united by a style focused on the most spontaneous territoriality and purity, thanks to zero or very low dosage and the choice to let the most peculiar characteristics of the grapes express themselves, such as strong minerality, for example. They all come from spontaneous fermentations in wooden and steel containers and refermentations in the bottle with the aid of only indigenous yeasts. The watchword is expressed by a maxim that Pierre Larmandier never tires of repeating: “let the terroir express itself freely.”
Larmandier Bernier is one of those maisons that have made natural and sustainable approach in the vineyard and cellar their strength and the fundamental premise for the production of high-level, expressive, and territorial champagne. The credit goes to Pierre Larmandier who, in 1988, left Paris to return to his hometown, Vertus in the Vallée de la Marne, and to continue the family winemaking business, with the help of his mother Elisabeth Bernier and his wife Sophie.
The vineyard area of Larmandier Bernier now amounts to 16 hectares, mainly cultivated with Chardonnay and scattered, besides Vertus, in the Grand Cru of Cramant, Choully, Avize, and Orger. The average age of the vines exceeds 40 years, and Pierre's work is aimed at limiting yields per hectare and allowing the roots to penetrate deep into the soil. Since 1992 he has not used synthetic chemical products and since 2004 he has switched to biodynamic cultivation. Pierrebelieves strongly in the balance of nature, in the natural defenses of plants, and in the necessity of cover cropping: “If we used herbicides, what would happen to all those microorganisms and earthworms that have found refuge among our vineyards? It is thanks to them that the soil breathes, that the roots find nourishment in the depths of the earth, that our vines are safe from diseases.”
The Champagnes of Larmandier Bernier are united by a style focused on the most spontaneous territoriality and purity, thanks to zero or very low dosage and the choice to let the most peculiar characteristics of the grapes express themselves, such as strong minerality, for example. They all come from spontaneous fermentations in wooden and steel containers and refermentations in the bottle with the aid of only indigenous yeasts. The watchword is expressed by a maxim that Pierre Larmandier never tires of repeating: “let the terroir express itself freely.”
