95+ Originating from an early-October harvest, Larmandier’s 2016 Blanc de Blancs Vieille Vigne du Levant, disgorged in March 2025, has turned out beautifully, exceeding any expectations the growers may have harbored after contending with mildew during much of the season. It reveals itself in the glass with aromas of orange oil, fresh apricot and nashi pear, mingled with freshly baked bread. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied and concentrated yet tightly wound, with a pure core of fruit, mouthwatering acidity and a pinpoint mousse, concluding with a long, chalky finish. If anything, it is markedly different from its richer, more demonstrative predecessor and will require additional patience to fully unfurl. Readers will know by now that it derives from two east-facing old-vine parcels—planted in 1962 and in the late 1930s—within the Bourron du Levant lieu-dit in Cramant, where roughly 80 centimeters of clay overlie the chalk. The wine was matured in a combination of 20-hectoliter Stockinger vat and 228- and 500-liter barrels. - KK