Winemaker Notes
Its pale gold color, glinting with emerald, illuminates the delicate necklace of bubbles rising to the disc's surface in the glass. On the nose, the wine's noble origins are unmistakable in the energy of its bouquet: pure, direct, and deep, a strong personality. Its lively attack, palate freshness, and mouth-watering minerality are a delight. But it doesn't end there. The gourmet will appreciate the supple fruit and notes of brioche that explode in a dreamy finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Like a prima ballerina, this elegant Champagne shows effortless precision and grace. The lacy mousse carries a layered range of creamed apple, yellow plum, pickled ginger and lemon curd flavors, aligned with more subtle hints of rich vanilla-infused pastry cream and brioche. Long and creamy, with a succulent quality to the well-cut acidity and a mineral-driven finish.
-
James Suckling
Subtle aromas of apple pie, lime, white flowers and reductive flint. Medium body, with some phenolics that frame the wine nicely. Flavors of bitter lemon, lemon and a hint of brioche. A little short now. Better in a year or two.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Delamotte's 2018 Blanc de Blancs is only the fourth edition since 2008. Since Michel Fauconnet found it expressive earlier, it was disgorged after four and half years of aging on the lees (as opposed to the six years typical of previous editions) with a dosage of 5.5 grams per liter. Sourced from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Oger, Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry, it comes from a lower-acid vintage that’s charming and inviting, revealing aromas of tangerine, dried white flowers and pear. Full-bodied, generous and even powerful, it is underpinned by ripe yet vibrant acidity.
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.’