Winemaker Notes
Crystal-clear appearance with a fine bead of delicate bubbles. Immediately intense on the nose, with an exotic character at first, releasing notes of citrus and dried fruit. The wine then opens up revealing a second brioche and buttery nose with notes of pastry and roasted almonds. This wine is clean and lemony on entry, showing great length and verticality, then opens up with notes of roasting and spices before revealing a warm, slightly saline character on the finish;
It is a perfect accompaniment to seafood or lobster with a dash of lemon or grilled sea bass with dill. These dishes will bring out the champagne’s saline and mineral character. For dessert, it will pair perfectly with a tangy lemon tart.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Peaches, lemons, croissants and white flowers on the nose of this fresh, silky Champagne. Bright and textured with sleek bubbles. Very approachable. Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs. Based on 2020 with 40% reserve wines from a perpetual reserve.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
With a dosage of six grams per liter, the NV Blanc de Blancs from Barons de Rothschild offers up a delicate, citrusy bouquet with aromas of spices, lemon oil, herbs, pastry and spring flowers. Medium-bodied, enveloping and round, it has a charming, perfumed core of fruit with an ethereal, saline and penetrating finish.
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Decanter
Delicate pear and macaron with a lightly reductive smokiness. Well-made with honeyed expression, sweet apricot and almond character with hints of lees and brioche crumb. A gastronomic style with a tangy, fresh finish.
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Wine Spectator
Poached pear and lemon pate de fruit flavors are underscored by hints of smoky minerality, candied ginger and biscuit in this zesty, mouthwatering Champagne, which has a lively mousse. Drink now through 2020. 1,500 cases imported.
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.’