Blanc de Blancs

Until 1st April this product is discounted by 30 percent. Price shown includes saving.*
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



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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.

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.

Although one should not necessarily judge a Champagne by the number of listings it has in the Michelin-starred restaurants of Paris, one can not fail but to be impressed by Legras in this respect; and in many other respects, indeed, as one tastes the wines. Founded in the 16th century, Legras is one of the great names of Chouilly, the famous and most northerly village of the Côte de Blancs. The House style combines a firm and classic structure with a generous fruit profile.

Champagne R&L Legras Brut is a pure and very satisfying expression of Chardonnay; the Brut has been aged for three years on its lees and has a modest dosage of six grams per litre. The floral aromas are complemented by an autolytic yeastiness and yellow fruits on the palate. Linear and focused, yet not without an attractive depth of flavour, the wine has a long mineral finish.

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

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.

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

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

This elegant Champagne features ripe, up-front aromas and flavors of dried apricot, crystallized honey and candied kumquat, giving way on the creamy palate to more subtle notes of raw almond, fleur de sel and star anise. Mouthwatering, with a chalky underpinning and a lovely, satiny finish. Drink now through 2026. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
Alison Napjus - Wine Spectator, 30 Sep 2016

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

2005 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is finely aromatic, a rich and creamy Blanc de Blancs at its very best. Although the 2005 can be enjoyed from release, a decade of patience will be well rewarded.

When Pierre Taittinger first discovered the Champagne region, he was a young officer during the First World War. He returned several years later to invest his energy into developing a family-owned independent Champagne house in Reims which is still managed by the Taittinger family to this day. Francois Taittinger chose Chardonnay as the dominant grape as he believed that modern tastes would increasingly appreciate the lightness, finesse and elegance of the Chardonnay grape in their flagship offering - Comtes de Champagne - first produced in 1952.

“We will never produce a large quantity of Comtes de Champagne because the technical characteristics we require so that this cuvée can be a very great wine are essentially unique in Champagne and very financially demanding. A triumphant blend of force and elegance, the Comtes de Champagne displays an eternal youth that it derives from the greatest Chardonnay of our province. Connoisseurs will appreciate it."
Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger

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.

A gifted and well-known oenologue, Christophe Constant at Vergnon has excellent raw materials to work with, helped by the situation of his vines. His philosophy is to nurture ripe and mature Chardonnay, usually from old vines, to eschew malolactic fermentation, and to allow the wines a lengthy maturation pre (and post) disgorgement, to facilitate integration and presage a potential for lengthy ageing. A very sound philosophy indeed it would seem.

A pure and powerful expression of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Chardonnay, this has as its base year 2008 and a dosage of six grams of residual sugar. A deeply satisfying nose of Mirabelle plum, almond and acacia leads to the palate where the mousse is fine and the texture rich; hints of flint and brioche add to the happy assemblage and the finish is impressive. A worthy dialectic.