2009 Champagne Lancelot-Pienne, Marie Lancelot, Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

Champagne Lancelot-Pienne

Cramant is one of the most celebrated Grand Cru villages in Champagne's Cote des Blancs, the style of its wines tending towards elegance and finesse in pleasing counterpoint to more steely examples further south. Our dealings with the reputable houses of Bonnaire and Guy Larmandier have underlined both the popularity of the wines, which make for a perfect aperitif, and their outstanding value, the former perhaps as a result of the latter. When  the eminent Champagne historian Michel Edwards suggested that we have a look at another Domaine, we were delighted so to do and feel that this grower, Lancelot-Pienne is a more than worthy addition to the portfolio.

Representing the fourth generation, Gilles Lancelot is a trained oenologist, who farms a fairly modest eight hectares, half of which are in Cramant itself, the other half in the Vallée de la Marne, the latter an excellent source for Pinot Meunier, which pays a key role in the Cuvée Tradition.

The house philosophy, apart from the somewhat inevitable borrowing from Arthurian legend in the naming of its wines, favours relatively late picking, low dosage and several interesting innovations, such as the use of a Solera in one or two of its senior wines. Whilst, somewhat unsurprisingly, there is a focus on Grand Cru and high quality Chardonnay in the range, Pinot Noir is far from forgotten, making up half the blend in the Cuvée Perceval, which underlines both the skill and the versatility of this exemplary house.
Simon Field MW, Champagne Buyer

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.