NV Guy Larmandier Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Zero Magnum (1.5 L) Magnum

When you’re lucky enough to have a seat at SF’s Birdsong, you pay attention. To everything. 

We first dined at the two-Michelin-star destination late last year, as we collaborated with their wine team for our Michelin club. It’s a place where no detail is overlooked, and the team's commitment to quality and the dining experience shine through, down to the “pricing transparency” breakdown on their website (Seriously, in the often larcenous world of ultra-fine dining, who does that?!). 

So when we settled in for our first meal there, it didn’t escape our notice that our host, rather than going for the obvious Champagne choice to start the meal, passed on the Krug by the glass. Instead, he ordered us a half-bottle of Guy Larmandier Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Zero. 

Our palates, having been primed for Krug, were not disappointed. 

This is a stunning Champagne from a tiny house: They farm just nine hectares that span the prestigious Grand Cru village of Cramant, producing barely 4,000 cases of wine each year. 

Their Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Zero is sourced exclusively from these Grand Cru parcels. It’s sustainably farmed, hand-harvested, and given extended aging on the lees to develop complexity while maintaining remarkable tension. As is traditional for great Blanc de Blancs, the wine is fermented in stainless steel to preserve freshness and purity. The natural richness of perfectly ripe Cramant Chardonnay shines through perfectly.

Larmandier, founded in 1977, is a jewel in the crown of importer Neal Rosenthal, who has worked with them since 1982. Their Chardonnay shows all the refinement, precision, and crystalline purity that has made the Grand Cru village of Cramant legendary.