Waris-Larmandier Sensation

I had been chatted up by a fair few Champagnes at a tasting before I found one worth a proper conversation: Waris-Larmandier Sensation NV.

The better grower Champagnes don’t waste words, because they have something they want to say, and this one was poised and radiant in the way it said it. What caught my attention was the small share of Pinot Blanc and Meunier in the blend, around 10% of it, alongside 60% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. Pinot Blanc is one of seven grape varieties permitted in Champagne, though you rarely meet it, since the three familiar names (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier) account for almost all of the region’s vineyards. The other four are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Arbane and Petit Meslier, and Waris-Larmandier grows a little Pinot Blanc, Arbane and Petit Meslier among its 34 parcels. Here the Pinot Blanc seemed to bring a freshness and lift that reminded me of the best Italian Franciacorta.

Waris-Larmandier is a family estate in Avize, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, founded in 1989 by Marie-Hélène and Vincent Waris, and their son Jean-Philippe has since joined them. Some Champagne labels come in regulation copperplate and others in plain type, but this wine felt smooth and colourful, like a clay bowl fresh from the kiln. It smelled of red apple and spicy lemongrass, and managed to be deep and light at the same time. Drinking it gave me the kind of unexpected luck you feel walking home from a party at dawn and finding a jewelled Venetian mask lying on the cold pavement.

Tasted at Champagne + Fromage in Covent Garden.