Waris-Larmandier ‘Particules Crayeuses’ Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Champagne NV is a high-energy Blanc de Blancs from five Grand Cru villages in the Côte des Blancs, made from old-vine Chardonnay and aged for 24–36 months on lees. It is a crystalline, saline and mineral-driven Champagne—complex and layered in youth, with the tension and precision to age gracefully for a decade or more.
Technical Details
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Producer: Waris-Larmandier, Avize, Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
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Wine: Champagne Grand Cru, Particules Crayeuses Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
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Vintage: Non-vintage, based on a single base vintage with solera reserve
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Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay
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Vineyard: Five Grand Cru villages — Chouilly, Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
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Vine age: At least 40 years
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Soil: Chalk-rich Côte des Blancs terroir
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Farming: Certified biodynamic (Demeter)
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Harvest: Hand-harvested
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Pressing: Traditional 4,000 kg vertical wooden basket press, first pressing only
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Fermentation: Spontaneous, with indigenous yeasts
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Vessel: Partly stainless steel, partly 600-litre Burgundian demi-muids and Avize Champagne barrels
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Malolactic fermentation: Spontaneous
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Reserve wine: 30% perpetual solera started in 2013
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Ageing: 24–36 months on lees, sur lattes under cork
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Disgorgement: By hand
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Dosage: 2 g/l
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Bottle pressure: 4.5 bar, reduced from the standard 6 bar for a creamier mousse
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Alcohol: 12–12.5% depending on release
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Bottle size: 750 ml
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Serving temperature: 8–10°C
The Producer
Waris-Larmandier is a family-owned grower-producer based in Avize, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs. The estate has been certified biodynamic since 2020 and is known for its meticulous vineyard work, low-intervention winemaking and Champagnes that emphasize freshness, minerality and terroir transparency.
Particules Crayeuses is the estate’s flagship Blanc de Blancs cuvée, sourced from biodynamically farmed, old-vine Chardonnay plots across five Grand Cru villages. The name refers to the chalk particles that define the Côte des Blancs terroir and give the wine its distinctive mineral character.
Vineyard and Terroir
Particules Crayeuses is sourced from the estate’s old-vine Chardonnay plots in Chouilly, Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, all classified Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs. The vines are at least 40 years old, giving the wine its depth, concentration and complexity.
The chalk-rich soils of these sites provide the wine’s hallmark minerality, saline tension and crystalline structure. The blend of five villages creates a layered expression of the Côte des Blancs, with each terroir contributing its own nuance to the final wine.
The Blend and Ageing
Particules Crayeuses is composed of a single base vintage that makes up the majority of the blend, bolstered by 30% of wine from a perpetual solera started in the 2013 vintage. This approach gives the wine continuity, complexity and a sense of place that transcends individual vintages.
The base wines are aged 6–18 months before secondary fermentation in bottle, followed by 24–36 months of lees ageing, sur lattes under cork. The wine is hand-disgorged with a dosage of just 2 g/l, and the bottle pressure is reduced to 4.5 bar for a creamier mousse.
Tasting Profile
Particules Crayeuses opens with aromas of lemon, white pepper, ginger and melon, with iodized and salty notes evoking the sea. On the palate, the fresh attack and well-established bubbles offer lightness and delicacy, with a magnificent texture that is greedy and fruity.
The finish is seductively saline, with a chalky minerality that lingers long on the palate. The wine is a true textbook Blanc de Blancs, combining citrus power and brightness with nobility, elegance, delicacy and sensuality.
Aroma and flavour: lemon, lime, mandarin orange, white peach, melon, green apple, white pepper, ginger, brioche, toasted nuts, almond, lemongrass, chalk, oyster shell and sea breeze.
Palate: full yet weightless, with vibrant acidity, fine mousse, layered fruit, chalky minerality and a long, saline finish.
Style: a serious, terroir-driven Blanc de Blancs—crystalline, saline and mineral, with the complexity and intensity to develop over time.
Drinking Window
Particules Crayeuses is released with significant bottle age and can be enjoyed on release, although it benefits greatly from air. Its reductive, tightly wound character means it is often markedly better after an hour or more in the glass or decanter.
With its biodynamic farming, old vines and mineral structure, the wine has the balance to develop for a decade or more under good cellar conditions. Serve it cool rather than fridge-cold, at 8–10°C, and allow it time in the glass to reveal its full aromatic complexity.
Food Pairing
Serve at 8–10°C with oysters, raw shellfish, sea urchin, langoustines, crab, sushi and sashimi. Its saline finish and citrus precision also make it excellent with grilled fish, white asparagus, poultry in cream sauce, and young or lightly aged goat’s cheese.
For a more contemplative pairing, serve it alongside aged Comté, Beaufort or a delicate truffle dish, allowing its nutty, chalky complexity to come forward.
Collector Note
This is a rare, biodynamic, old-vine Blanc de Blancs from a highly regarded grower-producer. Particules Crayeuses is produced in limited quantities, and its five-village blend, solera reserve and hand disgorgement make each release distinctive.
The combination of Waris-Larmandier’s reputation, the chalky Côte des Blancs terroir and the freshness of the non-vintage blend makes this a compelling choice for collectors seeking age-worthy, terroir-driven Champagne with long-term development potential.
Recommended serving: open and decant for 45–90 minutes before serving at 8–10°C; use a white-wine glass or a slightly narrower Champagne glass to preserve its fine mousse and aromatic precision.
