Guy Larmandier Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France NV Hakkaisan 84-hectare parcel in Cruots planted

84-hectare parcel in Cruots planted in 1954

"This is stunning for its ability to take massively endowed fig

but the Cycladic Assyrtiko grape shows beautiful roundness and balance here

although it does not have the precision of the 2006 Mouton-Rothschild

superfine tannins and layers of cherry

Guy Larmandier Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France NV Hakkaisan 84-hectare parcel in Cruots plantedFrom Chardonnay vines in the Grand Cru village of Cramant. The total absence of any sense of sweetness in this Brut Zro allows the limestone to take center stage, and it presents in a more piercing and saline manner than in Larmandier's Brut wines. Despite its relative rigorousness and austerity, however, this is by no means a difficult wine. Rather, it will appeal to those who relish the sort of palpable, intense mineral character Champagne is