Berry Bros. & Rudd Blanc de Blancs Champagne by Le Mesnil, Grand Cru, Brut
About this WINE
Le Mesnil
Le Mesnil Champagne cooperative is located in one of "Côte des Blancs" greatest Champagne growths, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
It produces Champagnes that are smooth and rich with fine acidity at the basic level, the vintage quality is significant step up, with crisper, richer, fuller fruit that will develop a toasty finesse.
Le Mesnil also produces a wonderful prestige cuvée, aptly named 'Sublime' that offers the highest degree of richness, complexity and finesse.
Discover the story behind our Own Selection Blanc de Blancs Champagne, made for us by Le Mesnil. Read more
Blanc de Blancs
In Champagne, the term Blanc de Blancs designates Champagnes made only from Chardonnay grapes. The vineyards located between Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger in Côte des Blancs yield the best examples of the style.
A classic Blanc de Blancs is restrained and elegant when young, yet with ageing it develops a mouth-coating brioche richness that overlays an intense expression of fruitiness. Blanc de Blancs are endowed with longer ageing potential than a typical Blanc de Noirs.
Recommended Producers: Salon, Billecart Salmon, Jacques Selosse, Dom Ruinart, Krug, Le Mesnil Grand Cru, Guy Larmandier
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.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
For a limited time, Cellar Plan members can enjoy a 20% saving on this wine, with the discount automatically applied at checkout. This offer will revert to 10% at midday on December 16th.
Champagne Le Mesnil sources the Chardonnay for our Blanc de Blancs exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards around the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, famed for having the greatest terroir in Champagne. The resulting wine was aged in bottle for at least three years before release, developing additional richness and complexity. Full of energy and elegance, seamless streams of bubbles hold notes of white flowers, stone fruit, and freshly baked croissants, building to a mouth-watering, mineral finish. Discover the story behind our Own Selection, Blanc de Blanc de Blancs Champagne here.
Davy Żyw, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee