The 2016 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Terre de Vertus unwinds in the glass with aromas of citrus zest, crisp yellow orchard fruit, brioche, honeycomb and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's bright and chiseled, with excellent depth at the core, racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. The Larmandier family invariably excel in cooler, more classic vintages, and this wine is no exception to that rule.

100% Chardonnay from a plot named Les Barillers, situated mid slope in Vertus, which has been vinified separately since 1995. Fermented spontaneously in old wooden vats and casks, natural malo, aged on lees the following year without fining or filtration. Aged sur lattes for more than five years. Disgorged by hand a year before release. Dosage 0 g/l. Like a broad arrow, burnished, powerful, driving smoke and cracked caramel from beginning to end with tremendous purpose. Roasted oatmeal. So much density it’s almost more of a meal than a drink. Warm, gingery spices. Salt and sour butter and bitter orange peel. A wine that challenges you, broad-chested heart to rib-caged heart. A wine with rhythm, beat, purpose. All-encompassing. (TC)