History of the Winery
The story of Champagne Larmandier-Bernier is one of heritage, vision, and quiet revolution. Though the domaine was officially founded in 1971, its roots extend back to 1765, with generations of the Larmandier family cultivating vines in Vertus and the Bernier family working the chalky slopes of Avize. It was the marriage of Philippe Larmandier and Elisabeth Bernier that formally unified these two proud lineages, laying the groundwork for an estate deeply embedded in the Côte des Blancs.
Champagne Larmandier-Bernier
19 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 51130 Vertus, France
+33 3 26 52 13 24
champagne@larmandier.fr | www.larmandier.fr/en
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Through the 1970s and 1980s, Philippe gained a reputation for elegant, classically styled Champagnes. But in 1988, his son Pierre Larmandier took over with a different vision. Dissatisfied with conventional viticulture, he began phasing out herbicides by 1992, and by 1999 had transitioned fully to organic and biodynamic practices. This was a bold move at a time when chemical treatments were standard in Champagne, and terroir expression was often obscured by industrial techniques.
Under Pierre’s leadership, and with the support of his wife Sophie, Larmandier-Bernier evolved into a benchmark for natural viticulture in Champagne. The estate invested in a new gravity-fed cellar in 2010 and again in 2025 to support longer ageing, parcel vinification, and the use of large-format oak for élevage. Today, Pierre and Sophie are joined by their sons Arthur and Georges, ensuring that the domaine’s philosophy will continue into a third generation. Together, they uphold a vision rooted in patience, authenticity, and respect for the living ecosystem of the vineyard.
The Appellation Context: Champagne and the Côte des Blancs
To understand the purity and precision of Larmandier-Bernier’s wines, it is essential to explore the broader landscape of the Champagne AOC. Champagne is the northernmost fine wine region in France, defined by its cool climate, unique chalk soils, and the méthode traditionnelle that gives the wine its effervescence. The region is subdivided into key areas: the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and the Aube.
Larmandier-Bernier is based in the Côte des Blancs, a narrow ridge south of Épernay famed for its chalk subsoils and its devotion to Chardonnay, the variety that forms the backbone of all their cuvées. This is the spiritual home of Blanc de Blancs Champagne—wines prized for their chalk-driven minerality, electric acidity, and longevity.
The estate works across several prestigious villages: Vertus (Premier Cru) and the Grand Crus of Avize, Cramant, and Oger. Each site brings its own nuance. Vertus, where the domaine is based, lies at the southern edge of the Côte des Blancs and offers a diversity of soils and aspects. Its wines are floral, expressive, and just a touch rounder than their northern peers. Avize provides laser-like acidity and a flinty mineral structure. Cramant adds creaminess and elegance, while Oger contributes breadth and chalky intensity. This mosaic of terroirs allows Larmandier-Bernier to craft wines that are precise yet textural, vertical yet grounded.
All vineyards are classified under the rigorous Champagne AOC, with tightly controlled yields, hand harvesting, and specific ageing requirements. But Larmandier-Bernier goes far beyond these minimums, employing biodynamic practices, working with horse ploughs, avoiding any synthetic treatments, and encouraging deep-rooted vine health to express each vineyard’s soul.
Winemaking Philosophy & Methods
Winemaking at Larmandier-Bernier is governed by three principles: purity, patience, and place. Everything begins in the vineyard, where the estate’s 16 ha are farmed according to biodynamic principles. No herbicides or pesticides are used. The soils are alive with biodiversity, cover crops are encouraged, and lunar cycles guide vineyard operations.
Harvest is conducted entirely by hand, with careful selection in the vineyard to ensure only the best fruit enters the cellar. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, a practice that encourages each parcel to develop its own identity. Vinification is carried out in large oak foudres and Burgundian barrels, allowing gentle oxygen exchange, textural complexity, and a neutral platform for terroir to shine.
Unlike many Champagne producers, Larmandier-Bernier does not block malolactic fermentation automatically. Instead, each cuvée is assessed individually. Some undergo malolactic to soften edges; others are left untouched to preserve tension. Extended lees ageing — often from 2 to 6 years — is standard, and the wines are disgorged by hand without fining or filtration. Most cuvées are bottled Extra Brut or Non-Dosage, adding little or no sugar to preserve balance and mineral clarity.
The result is Champagne of transparency — not adorned, but illuminated.
Vineyards & Terroir
The estate’s vineyards span the full character arc of the Côte des Blancs, from the generous slopes of Vertus to the crystalline precision of Cramant and Avize. Soils are predominantly Campanian chalk, which imparts a distinctive mineral signature to the wines. This chalk acts as a natural reservoir, absorbing rainfall and releasing it slowly to the vines, ensuring balanced ripening and longevity even in warm vintages.
Most parcels are planted with Chardonnay, the variety best suited to this terroir, with a small amount of Pinot Noir used for the rosé and still red. The vines, many of which are over 40 years old, are carefully tended using manual labor and horse-drawn ploughing where possible. Biodynamic preparations nourish the soil, and biodiversity is not just encouraged — it’s embraced as essential to vineyard vitality.
Each vineyard is vinified separately, allowing Pierre and his team to build cuvées that express the subtlest differences in exposition, age, and soil composition.
The Wine Portfolio
Larmandier-Bernier’s wines are not mass-produced blends. They are precise reflections of time and place — vinous essays on terroir.
Latitude Extra Brut comes from south-facing Chardonnay vineyards in Vertus, showing richness, creaminess, and lemon curd elegance. Fermented in barrel, it rests over two years on lees and is bottled with minimal dosage.
Longitude Extra Brut sources grapes from a chalky line of Grand Cru vineyards — Avize, Oger, and Cramant. More vertical and saline than Latitude, it offers crushed oyster shell, white grapefruit, and chalky tension.
Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Non-Dosage is a single-parcel wine from “Les Barillers,” mid-slope in Vertus. Fermented in oak and bottled without dosage, it is the estate’s most uncompromising expression: focused, pure, and deeply mineral.
Rosé de Saignée Extra Brut is made using the rare saignée method, where Pinot Noir from Vertus macerates briefly before bleeding off the juice. It’s vinous and savory, with redcurrant, blood orange, and gentle tannins.
Vieille Vigne de Cramant Grand Cru Extra Brut is a 100% Chardonnay cuvée from vines planted in 1960. It spends 5–7 years on lees and showcases depth, dried orchard fruit, chalk, and a long, salty finish.
Les Chemins d’Avize Grand Cru Extra Brut is a lieu-dit Chardonnay from 1955 plantings in Avize. Long ageing and no dosage yield a wine that is profound, reserved, and built for decades in bottle.
Vertus Rouge Coteaux Champenois is a rare still Pinot Noir from Vertus. It’s light-bodied, aromatic, and mineral — a red wine that whispers of its chalky origins.
Each wine is a declaration of integrity, restraint, and curiosity — Champagne without make-up, standing tall in its own truth.
Champagne Larmandier-Bernier is more than a domaine — it’s a statement. In every bottle lies a commitment to soil, soul, and sustainability. These are wines that speak softly but with clarity, offering a vision of Champagne that is at once ancient and refreshingly new. For sommeliers, wine lovers, and producers seeking inspiration from purity and patience, there may be no better model in all of Champagne.
