2012 Larmandier-Bernier Vieille Vigne du Levant Grand Cru, Champagne

The 2012 Extra Brut Vieille Vigne de Levant is another standout in this range from Pierre and Sophie Larmandier. It possesses tremendous intensity and tons of pure power. Lemon confit, apricot, spice, marzipan and dried herbs saturate the palate in a Champagne endowed with serious concentration. The 2012 is dense, rich and full of personality. These 50-70 year-old vines confer notable complexity. The 2012 waa vinified in neutral oak and bottled with dosage of two grams per liter.

96 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com 

The 2012 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant was tightly wound when I tasted it last year, but today it is really beginning to show all its cards. Delivering a complex bouquet of orange oil and pear mingled with notions of freshly baked bread, white flowers, marzipan and beeswax, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, racy acids and chalky structure. Powerful and precise, it concludes with a long, mineral finish.

97 points William Kelley robertparker.com

Disgorged June 2021. This Blanc de Blancs was historically labelled Vieille Vigne de Cramant. Nothing has changed save for the name, which is now inspired by the vineyard where the majority of grapes are sourced, Bourron du Levant (planted in 1960). The balance comes from a 0.5-hectare holding in the neighbouring terroir of Le Fond du Bâteau (with 75-year-old vines). Both plots are located in the heart of Cramant’s southeast-facing slopes, on the flanks of the Butte de Saran.

Basking in the first rays of the morning sun, these vineyards give wonderfully ripe and layered wines. The deep root system of the old vines combines with the terroir to bring a wine of glowing density and opulence. It offers a fascinating, concentrated and stone-fruited contrast to the other Larmandier cuvées (not to mention other producers’ wines from Cramant’s west-facing hill). Quoted in Peter Liem’s ChampagneGuide.net, Pierre Larmandier notes, “[it’s] the same minerality, but Cramant has more power and more body. In Vertus, the minerality is a little more naked.”

The winemaking across each of Larmandier’s single terroir wines is similar—natural fermentation and malo, 12 months in large Stockinger barrels and no fining or filtration. This cuvée, however, spends at least five years in bottle on lees (nearly eight years for the 2012). This release was disgorged with only two grams per litre dosage. 

The 2012 Larmandier Bernier Vieille Vigne du Levant Grand Cru is one of Champagne’s great Chardonnay statements, intense, intellectual and quietly thrilling. Sourced from old vines in Cramant, this is Blanc de Blancs at its most serious, shaped by chalk, age and an uncompromising commitment to terroir.

Pierre and Sophie Larmandier are among the leading voices of grower Champagne, long championing organic and biodynamic farming before it became fashionable. Vieille Vigne du Levant comes from a tiny, east facing parcel of old vines, many planted in the mid 20th century, rooted deep into pure chalk. Yields are naturally low, and everything is handled gently in the cellar, with fermentation in large oak, extended lees ageing and no malolactic fermentation, preserving energy and line.

The 2012 vintage in Champagne was exceptional, delivering concentration without sacrificing freshness, and this wine captures that balance beautifully. In the glass, it opens with lemon oil, white peach and green apple, layered with crushed chalk, toasted hazelnut and subtle smoky notes. With time, hints of brioche, citrus zest and saline minerality emerge. The palate is powerful yet precise, with a creamy mid palate framed by laser like acidity and a long, chalk driven finish that feels both expansive and exacting.

This is not a Champagne for casual sipping. It demands attention, rewards patience and evolves constantly in the glass. There is a sense of density and quiet authority that places it firmly among the great single site Blanc de Blancs of the region.

At the table, it excels with oysters, lobster, scallops or dishes with fine texture and subtle richness. It is already deeply impressive, but the structure and intensity suggest a long future ahead, continuing to gain complexity and nuance over many years.