Winemaker Notes
The purity of its aromatic charactermakes Blanc de Blancs 2008 the perfect epicurean aperitif, but it can also pair well with a variety of white fish, like turbot orjohn dory. Ideal with a wild sea bass with lemon butter, a pink peppercorn seasoned sea scallop carpaccio or lobster in a vanilla sauce.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is very opulent in the nose and palate with American pancakes and salted butter. Raw bread dough. Dried apples. Hints of toffee. Full and phenolic with creamy texture. Flavorful finish, but not overpowering. Excellent for drinking outside by the pool. 100% chardonnay from Mesnil and Chouilly.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2008 Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay with 6 grams of dosage) is a richer, medium to full-bodied, concentrated Champagne that has loads to love. Possessing a toasty edge in its crème brûlée, orchard fruits, and smoked nut aromas and flavors, it has vibrant acidity, a clean, elegant, mouthfilling mousse, and a great finish. This cuvée comes all from the Grand Cru sites in Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and it spent 6 years on lees.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and ripe flavors of glazed apricot and spiced plum are layered with pastry dough, graphite and spice notes in this balanced version, with a lively bead. Accessible, presenting juicy acidity through to the clean-cut finish. Disgorged April 2015. Drink now through 2024.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
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.’