Champagne, chardonnay
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Champagne
The chalky soils of Champagne combined with its frigid growing environment create wines that are electric and salivating. But it’s the creation of bubbles that makes these wines stand out.
The bubbles are formed during a secondary fermentation in bottle, known as Méthode Traditionelle. The longer they age, the more nougat and brioche flavours develop and the finer the bead (bubble) becomes.
In terms of who invented Champagne, the English make a strong case as they worked out the formula for purposely making the fizz happen and their stronger coal-fired glass bottles - resulting from the Industrial Revolution - could hold the pressure. Whereas the French were still bottling in wood-fired glass which wasn’t strong enough and they hadn’t cracked the technique of creating bubbles on purpose.
Grapes
White: Chardonnay
Red: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
Styles
Nowhere in the world can emulate the fineness and electric detail of these wines. Non-vintage Champagnes should be enjoyed earlier in their lives, while vintage wines have more structure and can age beautifully. House styles differ too. Blanc des Blancs (100% Chardonnay) offer a more elegant and fragile expression while Blanc des Noirs (100% Pinot and or Meunier) are darker fruited with more obvious structure and power.
Favourite Producers
Pierre Peters, Louis Roederer, Vilmart, Andre Clouet, Taittinger, Larmandier, Egly-Ouriet, Jacques Selosse
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Andre Jacquart Vertus Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs NVA sleek Champagne, with flavors of white cherry and blood orange that are ripe and expressive, accented by honeysuckle, minerally chalk and sliced almond notes. Well-knit and fine in texture. Mouthwatering finish. Alison Napjus, Wine SpectatorNVChampagne, chardonnayFrance376$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Andre Jacquart Mesnil Experience Blanc de Blancs NVMouthwatering acidity focuses this racy blanc de blancs, with flavors of lemon parfait, baked quince and pickled ginger, while a hint of salted almond lingers on the refined finish. Alison Napjus, Wine SpectatorNVChampagne, chardonnayFrance376$145.00 As low as $130.50 -
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Blanc NVOne of the pioneers of the blanc de blancs style, Charles Heidsieck only relaunched its 100% Chardonnay NV Champagne in 2018. Round but incisive and fresh, this has lovely balance between its creamy, woody mouthfeel and its fresh, saline acidity. A lovely food wine. JAMES BUTTON, DecanterNVchardonnayFrance376$145.00 As low as $130.50 -
Delamotte Blanc de Blanc 2018The 2018 Brut Blanc de Blancs is a blend of fruit from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Oger, Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry, six villages in the Côte des Blancs. Crushed rocks, mint, slate, lemon peel and green pear lend notable freshness. Like most wines in this vintage, the Blanc de Blancs is airy and medium-bodied in structure, but it shows lovely tension and fine balance. There's plenty of Delamotte class, in an understated style. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
The Delamotte 2018 Blanc de Blancs is showing well today, evoking a gourmand, complex bouquet of pastry, almonds, ripe orchard fruits, spices and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and chiseled, it’s enveloping and round with a fleshy core of fruit, though not as fleshy as the 2012, concluding with a tense and long finish. YOHAN CASTAING, The Wine Advocate2012Champagne, chardonnayFrance376 -
Pierre Peters L'Esprit Millesime 2019The L'Esprit de 2019 is one of the best versions of this wine I can remember tasting. Exuberant and racy, with tons of energy, the 2019 reflects the natural intensity of this great vintage while retaining the super-classic signatures of the Côtes des Blancs. This cuvée is a blend of fruit sourced from Grand Cru sites in Le Mesnil, Avize, Cramant and Oger. Readers who want to enjoy a top-flight Champagne without splurging will find so much to like here. Hints of tangerine peel, marzipan and dried flowers linger on the intensely saline finish. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: December 19, 2023. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
The year’s heat has yielded concentration and fragrance rather than weight, with lemon oil and Mirabelle plum framed in a compact, driven, yet polished palate whose firm core of acid will unwind beautifully over the coming decade as the aromatics develop further. Between the excellence of Pierre Péters non-vintage and the renown of its top offerings, the vintage-level cuvée can sometimes be overlooked, but in 2019 – one of winemaker Rodolphe Péters’ favourite years – it’s an absolute star. (95) TOM HEWSON, Decanter2018chardonnayFrance376$195.00 As low as $175.50 -
Delamotte Blanc de Blanc 2014The 2014 Blanc de Blancs is seriously impressive. Ample in feel, Delamotte is especially rich in 2014, and yet there is plenty of freshness to balance things out. This is an especially savory style for Delamotte, and one that works so well. Dried lemon peel, pastry, almond, dried herbs and chamomile open in a beautifully translucent Blanc des Blancs that marries power and finesse. I can’t wait to see how it ages. ANTONIO GALLONI, vinous2012Champagne, chardonnayFrance376$235.00 As low as $211.50 -
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 2007The 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires is the seventh opus of this vintage after the 1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2004 and 2006 vintages. This 100% Chardonnay exhales aromas of candied lemon, lemon oil, spring flowers, ripe orchard fruits and hints of pastry. The palate is coated and fleshy, rich and dense, with racy acids and a chalky, penetrating finish. Hide bottles for seven to eight years. (95+) YOHAN CASTAING, The Wine Advocate
“The nose is very subtle, has glimpses of oyster shell and lemon. The palate is taut, bright, super-fresh, linear, lemony and just incredibly youthful. There is a vein on ripe, lemony freshness that pervades this wine, that sets the tone, that defines its character. This is intense, insistent, urgent, yet also gentle and smooth with very fine mousse. A wonderful and most compelling personality. Exquisite. The finish is a serene stretch of lemony, chalky, profound freshness. Drink now or keep. Will evolve. (98) ANNE KREBIEHL MW
100% Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Vertus. The new Blanc des Millénaires presents the very best of the 2007 vintage, one that shows an intense, bristling kind of energy for Chardonnay. A compressed, tight core of chalky, pure flavours – green plum, charred peel, white flowers – with a lick of sea salt. Tasted again in November 2022, this cuvée showed richer sourdough and butter profile, suggesting it is opening up fairly obligingly. Much more focus than the 2006, yet more attitude than the serenely attractive 2004. TOM HEWSON, TimAtkin.com
2007chardonnayFrance376$500.00 As low as $450.00