Larmandier-Bernier : Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Non Dosé Blanc de Blancs 2017

The 2017 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Terre de Vertus 1er Cru is creamy, open-knit and quite seductive. Readers will find a generous, sensual Champagne with plenty of early appeal. Vinification and aging in oak softens the contours. Dried pear, crushed flowers, mint and chamomile build beautifully over time. This is a fine effort in a very challenging year. No dosage. Disgorged: May 2023.

A beautiful array opening onto notes of hazelnut, dried fruit, and sweet almond. The background is chalky with lovely minerality. The juice is lively, with fine tension, acidity, and a backbone of freshness. The wine is sapid.

The 2017 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Terre de Vertus, which comes from two east-facing plots within the same lieu-dit in Les Barillers, mid-slope, delivers a very mineral, almost crystalline character. From a vineyard that rarely produces powerful wines, even in the context of 2017, it has retained its personality, though it’s a little more generous and slightly less focused than the 2016 rendition. Unfurling from the glass with aromas of lemon peel, honeysuckle and oyster shell, it is medium-bodied, racy and saline-tinged, and can be approached before last year’s release. Disgorged in May 2023.