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 Cote de 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.
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Description
Le Mesnil, under the expert guidance of Gilles Marguet (a cousin of our very own and equally gifted Benoit Marguet), go from strength to strength. Long passed are the days when the word Co-operative invited evasion and disdain. Indeed, working with the top Co-ops in the region (Mailly and Le Mesnil ) BBR have two of the most efficient and quality-driven partners imaginable. Add to the mix the superlative 2002 vintage, and one has a very fine wine indeed, afforded extensive lees aging and a little extra time in the bottle before release. Youthful Chardonnay Champagne par excellence, stone fruit, chalky grip and floral elegance. Less demonstrative and exuberant than the 2001 at a similar age, but destined for greater things.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer) The producers of our very own UKC Blanc de blancs have excelled again. One can almost smell the chalk of the Cote, mingled with citrus and white flowers, in a manner reminiscent of premier cru Chablis. The palate displays the graceful touch and subtle power that characterises the 2002 vintage, whilst a core of minerality so typical of Grand Cru village of Mesnil weaves its way through zesty lemon sherbert which broadens out to grapefruit, melon and a hint of honey. Wonderful drinking now and worth keeping some back for a few years.
(Edwin Dublin, London Shop, January 2011)
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