Chateau de Bligny Clos du Chateau 6 Cepages
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James
Suckling -
Wine
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A harmonious blend of the 6 Champagne grape varieties, this Clos du Chateau has a delicate, scented nose. It is well-structured, powerful and lively on the palate, with dominant mineral flavors. "Cuvee 6 Cepages" is a very full wine with superb length.
Pale golden colour. A rich, subtly floral nose. Toasted, honey and star anise aromas. Expressive and very fruity on the palate, with vanilla, quince jelly, and boiled sweet aromas. A delightful finish.
Vines are known to have been planted in Bligny since the 12th Century. The current vineyards cover twenty hectares. All the plots that were well-reputed in the past have been replanted, including the former vineyards of the Sainte Euladie Priory founded centuries ago, the “Bernardin” vineyards that once belonged to the monks of the famous Cistercian Abbey of Clairvaux, and the “Val-l’Ermite”.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a Champagne outside of the box. Aromas of dried apples, iron filings and pie crust with peach tarte tatin follow through to a medium- to full-bodied palate with fantastic character similar to the nose with so much flavor at the end, but it is tight and pointed at the fresh finish. A gorgeous and rare Champagne made with six grape types from the region, including pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot meunier, pinot blanc, arbane and petit meslier.
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Wine Enthusiast
It is sometimes forgotten that Champagne wines can be made from more grapes than the classic Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. So this mono cru adds three more: the native Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Blanc. The result is full bodied with richness. Lemon curd and spice add further interest to this ripe, generous wine.
Solidly built of dressed stone and firmly sited at the base of a mound, the Chateau overlooks the village and the valley of the Landion, the source of which is situated under the Chateau cellars and still supplies it with water today. The main door of the Chateau comes from the former feudal castle demolished in 1770 and is in the Louis XIII style with its fine sculptural decorations of grapes and vine branches.
Vines have been grown on the slopes of Bligny for many centuries. The Marquis de Dampierre, who owned the Bligny glassworks, lived in the chateau in the heart of the village. He also owned the surrounding hillsides. The vineyards provided for his personal wine consumption, and the wine was mostly still.
In 1871, the Marquis de Dampierre lost his son, killed at the front. Contrary to certain draft schemes, the railway did not come through Bligny: it was routed instead through Bar-sur-Aube. The glassworks was therefore moved to Bar. Phylloxera sounded the death knell of the Bligny vineyards.
Its reconstruction began in the early 19th Century when the chateau was passed on to Baron de Cachard. Louis XVIII had made him a noble and given him the title of Baron. Baron de Cachard gave the estate a new lease of life as a wine-producing establishment: he decided to plant a large vineyard, which earned him the nickname of “Gentleman Wine-maker”. Baron de Cachard had been aware of the former excellent reputation of the wines in the region. He had also bought the vineyards of the former Sainte Eulalie Priory, founded in the village in around 1000. The vineyards that he planted and bought now form the Chateau de Bligny estate.
In 1930 the vineyards covered forty-four hectares. After the war, the estate was bought by a gentleman from Tours, Mr. Lefèvre, who wanted to add a champagne to his range of sparkling wines. His plans did not come to fruition and the property was divided up. In 1952, the Lorin family bought the vineyards in several lots and replanted in 1954.
We are now seeing the rebirth of Bligny as a result of heavy investment in production equipment, and the chateau has been superbly renovated. The renovated Chateau has been open to the public since 1999.
You can visit the house, which, along with its land, has a great historic, architectural and wine-making heritage. The dining and reception rooms have retained their decorative woodwork and ceilings painted with cherubs and cupids. An outstanding collection of a thousand champagne glasses, including pieces designed by Lalique and Daum, reminds us that the village was the home of one of the Aube’s largest crystal glassworks until 1881. Its cellars have the “Champagne Tourist Trail” label, and visitors can admire the magnificent neo-Gothic stained glass windows.
The latest plan is to create a "Clos" (parcel of vines surrounded by walls) in the vast grounds of the Chateau, a project that is rare in Champagne. The "clos" will allow visitors to witness the different stages in the growth of the vines.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’