Blanc de Blancs

Under the gifted management of Gilles Marguet, Le Mesnil is making stunning Grand Cru Champagnes from Chardonnay. Located in one of Côte des Blancs’s greatest villages, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, it produces Champagnes that are smooth and rich with fine acidity at the basic level; while the vintage wines offer a significant step up, with crisper, richer and fuller fruit that will develop a toasty finesse. A trophy-winner at this year’s International Wine Challenge® awards, unrivalled provenance and over two years’ bottle-ageing, our own-label Blanc de Blancs is – in our eyes – an absolute winner every time. The perfect apéritif for festivities, it has a generous floral nose, a deliciously refreshing, yet rich palate and a clean, satisfying finish.

Mealy, light, quite faint fruit on the nose at the moment, but there is a purity to it which is very attractive. On the finish, the yeasty character is excellent, and there is a lovely sea-salt note to finish. The nose is bound to open up in due course. 
Richard Hemming, MW - jancisrobinson.com

Valentin Leflaive is a prestigious joint venture between Erick de Sousa and Olivier Leflaive, the former one of the most respected organic growers in the Grand Cru Champagne village of Avize, the latter a respected member of a very famous Puligny-Montrachet family and joint -founder of the Maison Olivier Leflaive. United by a love of Panama hats, and more importantly, the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grape varieties, the collaboration of these esteemed gentlemen is one of the most exciting developments in Champagne for many a year….

With 2010 as its base year, this Blanc de Blancs has been enhanced by the addition of 30% of Reserve Wine, which has been matured, naturally enough, in Burgundy barrels, courtesy of M Leflaive. Aged on lees for 42 months and disgorged in February 2015, this is a sophisticated and textured wine, its creamy generosity finding a perfect foil in an elegant, citric minerality. A beguiling floral aromatic finds counterpoint on the palate with notes of brioche, poached pear and hints of honeysuckle. A triumphant début!
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Richer than the more linear and citric 2008, this is reflective of the warmer growing season. Abundant stone fruit, lemon pith, brioche and a hint on honey on the nose. Generously textured on the palate, with a fine mousse and the requisite seam of acidity keeping everything in check. This is a Pol Blanc de Blancs to enjoy straight off the boat, although I would expect this to gain a little added complexity and nuttiness with some age. 

A classic lemon citrus nose complemented by puff pastry a hint of honey and delicate white flowers. The 2009 has a gentle nature and a clean attack that may not have the vibrancy of cooler vintages but offers a creamy flow, nice weight and gentle bubbles to accompany the rhubarb and apple tang in the finish. A great vintage Champagne to get stuck into early, it slips down very easily so no need to wait. Drink 2018 – 2024. 
Peter Newton, Private Account Manager.

Billecart-Salmon is one of the few remaining Champagne houses to be owned by the original family and was established in 1818 by Nicolas-François Billecart. Most of Billecart-Salmon's fruit comes from a small vineyard holding, though this is supplemented with grapes bought in from the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. Meticulous production techniques, from the use of their own cultured yeast to its long, slow, cool fermentation, ensure that the family has 100 percent control of production.

The quest for "finesse, balance and elegance" has always guided the making of the Billecart-Salmon Champagnes. The Blanc de Blancs possesses vivid lemony notes along with pear, honeysuckle, and green apple characteristics. It has the potential to last for the next five to eight years.

Krug released the 2003 vintage of the incredibly rare Clos du Mesnil, with a real appeal to avid collectors. Clos du Mesnil comes from a single walled vineyard of Chardonnay vines in Mesnil-Sur-Oger. Krug produces one of the purest expressions of a 100% Chardonnay Champagne that you will ever have the pleasure of tasting. Only available through a strict allocation process due to the tiny quantities (only 8671 individually numbered bottles of 2003 available in the world), this is an incredibly rare Champagne.

2003 is a year that offered abundant warmth and produced generously styled Champagne. This has played perfectly in to the hands of the Krug house style and as such their wine is among the best of the vintage, with wonderful richness and depth. These are presented in a wooden case.
Few wine lovers would disagree with the sentiment that Krug sits firmly atop the Champagne tree. In 1843, Joseph Krug set out with a singular aim; to craft the finest expression of Champagne every year, irrespective of conditions. A cuvee he simply named, Numéro 1.
Chris Pollington, Fine Wine Account Manager

For me, Krug is more than a Champagne. It is a word that stands for artistry, tradition, craftsmanship, and moments of pure pleasure… All Krug's wines are small masterworks, and although Grande Cuvée may be lighter and fresher than its predecessor, Private Cuvée, after a few extra years in the cellar it outshines the competitors' vintage Champagnes… If the opportunity arises, never miss the chance to drink a Krug!
Richard Juhlin

Taittinger is one of the few family-owned, independent Champagne houses in Reims. Its top Champagne is Comtes de Champagne. First produced in 1952, it is made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes from six Grand Cru sites in the Côte de Blancs. This is finely aromatic, rich, creamy blanc de blancs at its best.

The 2006 epitomises Taittinger’s famed purity and elegance. This is a wine of the very highest calibre. The nose is beautifully poised, clean and pure with waxy lemon notes and the merest hint of biscuit. The palate is effortless, so fine, yet has no shortage of complexity or length. Citrus-laden, a tiny hint of white chocolate comes with the creamy texture. Tasted alongside the 2004 it is clear that the 2006 is going to develop in a similar, fine, fashion and I suspect, given the precision it displays now, the 2006 is likely to surpass that fine vintage in time.

Fruits of a one hectare plot in the southern Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Salon is the most famous statement of Chardonnay Champagne that one is likely to encounter; aged for a decade and to be kept, if one has the patience, for another decade at least. Green gold colour then intense aromas of honeydew melon, nectarine and recently  cooked brioche. The palate has a linear shard of acidity, a Keatsean composure and yet real energy and dazzling potential. From the best vintage so far this century, surely a contender for the best wine of the century...so far!
Simon Field MW, Champagne Buyer

The Pol Roger Chardonnay is a fitting celebration of a great vintage from a superlative House. The high natural sugar levels of this near perfect vintage gave the base wine an average alcohol level of 10.5 degrees, but this was matched by fine natural acidity. Ideal in other words. The resulting Champagne, after a suitable slumber on its yeast, marries the youthful Chardonnay exuberance that one has come to associate with this cuvée with the gravitas of the vintage. Stone fruit notes, allied to brioche, iodine and honey all underwrite latent excellence.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

Pol Roger is perhaps best known as Winston Churchill's favourite Champagne. The House remains family-owned and has a reputation for producing Champagnes of finesse and elegance which age very well.

This has all the hallmarks of a great blanc de blancs; white flowers, citrus, a touch of stone fruit and the merest hint of honey. A sure sign that Pol Roger has delivered yet again when nature presented ideal conditions for vintage Champagne. Citrus dominates the palate at the moment, with buttery brioche and almonds in the background. Very fresh and beautifully balanced, this will certainly provide immediate gratification but an extra couple of years will add a layer of honeyed complexity to this excellent wine. A real treat.

As with the classic vintage Pol Roger, their vintage Blanc de Blancs offers exceptional quality at an attractive price. This 2004 is forward in style and will show very well from release through until 2018; notes of white flowers, citrus and stone fruit with delicate honey and brioche characters in the background. Fresh and vibrant, it is beautifully balanced with fine acidity, and offers an long, attractive crystalline finish. Very classy indeed.
Martyn Rolph, Private Account Manager

This is one of the finest Blanc de Blancs Champagne on the market, luminous of hue, rounded of form and lengthy in the memory. The distinctive clear bottle for Ruinart, Blanc de Blancs is based on an 18th century original; its Chardonnay persona is harmonious and elegant, capturing the House style.

Superb finesse and ripe, elegant fruitiness make this wonderful champagne well worth the price.
Jamie Goode, S Magazine Sunday Express, December 2011

40 year old vines are the source of this excellent cuvée from the outstanding 2002 vintage. Smoky, flinty, and yet at the same time toasty and honied. The palate shares these creative tensions combining tropical and citric notes, but with a delicate, lacy texture, and then a long almost savoury finish. Very fine, and very good value indeed.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

The 2006 Cramant has a delightful nose of apple charlotte, almond and praline; the palate underlines the elegance for which this famous Grand Cru village is famous, with citric freshness, an exuberant mousse and a fantastically refreshing finish. Gently buttery with a soft and almost tropical core this outstanding example comes from the Vertus scion of the Larmandier family and rehearses all the virtues of the finest Champagne.
Simon Field MW, Champagne Buyer