- 60 to 85 year old Chardonnay vines from Cramant vinified in oak barrels.
- Lemon, honey, caramel, smoky spice.
- An extravagant, concentrated, full-bodied champagne for the most discerning palates.
The picture shows a different vintage.
The ripe 2015 vintage suits this terroir very well. The very old, cool limestone soils provide freshness. The year perfectly expresses the power and extravagantly lush body of this Chardonnay champagne. Peach, lemon, freshly baked bread, white flowers and a touch of honey and caramel greet the nose. The palate is full and creamy, perfectly integrating the mineral, lively core. This minerality ensures that the power and concentration are not excessive. In contrast, the Chemins d'Avize is more playful and has less body and power. It can be enjoyed now and over the next ten years.
The Larmandiers have owned the Bourron du Levant plot in Cramant for a long time. ‘Levant’ means east: the vines are located higher on slope that faces the east and already catches the first rays of sunshine early in the morning. Such vineyards are known to give the richest most powerful Chardonnays. The vines were planted 65 to 85 years ago and produce a very concentrated, full-bodied wine with a distinctive character. In the great 1988 vintage, Pierre Larmandier therefore decided to bottle and offer a Vieilles Vignes Cramant separately. The name was changed to ‘Vieilles Vignes du Levant’ with the 2007 vintage. This was to avoid confusion between the name of the Grand Cru Cramant vineyard and the term Crémant.
After pressing, the must is fermented with natural yeasts. The wines mature in barrels and casks from the Stockinger cooperage in Austria until the summer after the harvest. This gives the wines a refined oak flavour. Anselme Selosse has this technique. The wines are neither filtered nor fined. The bottles are stored on the lees for almost eight years. The dosage is extremely low at 2 g per litre.
