Larmandier-Bernier 'Latitude' Blanc de Blancs NV

Some Champagnes you drink. This one you taste. Pierre Larmandier farms biodynamically on the chalkiest slopes of Vertus, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs — and the wine drinks like the place. Lemon peel and white flowers lift over a saline, mineral core that cuts cleanly across the palate and lingers. No fat, no makeup, no compromise — just Chardonnay in its purest, most precise form. One of the great grower Champagnes, full stop.

The fruit comes from the southern end of Vertus, where the chalk sits under a deeper, richer topsoil. This end of the village was historically Pinot Noir country, and it shows. Latitude is the rounder, more generous of the house's two non-vintage wines.

Around 70 percent of the blend is base wine, fermented with wild yeasts in old foudres and neutral Burgundy barrels. The rest is a perpetual reserve topped up every year since 2004. The wine spends its first year on natural lees with no fining or filtration, then at least two more years in bottle. It is disgorged by hand and dosed at just 2 grams per litre.

Philippe Larmandier and Elisabeth Bernier founded the house in 1971. Pierre took over in 1988, went organic by 1992 and biodynamic by 1999. Drink it now or hold it two or three years.