Larmandier-Bernier Vieilles Vignes du Levant Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France 2016

One of the domaine’s most extraordinary single vineyard Champagnes, Vieille Vigne du Levant captures the power and complexity of ancient Chardonnay vines in the Grand Cru village of Cramant. From the Bourron du Levant parcel, where southeast facing vines, some more than 80 years old sink deep into the chalk, this cuvée delivers remarkable concentration while retaining the precision that defines Larmandier-Bernier. The 2016 vintage unfolds with ripe citrus, candied apricot and orchard fruit, layered with toasted hazelnut, ginger, delicate pastry and a profound chalky minerality. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in wood and aged extensively on its lees, it offers a rich, creamy texture balanced by freshness, saline tension and an exceptionally long finish. With just 2 g/L dosage, this is a rare, age-worthy Blanc de Blancs for serious Champagne collectors, a profound expression of Cramant terroir.