Blanc de Blancs

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.

Le Mesnil is a cooperative 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.

Under the gifted management of Gilles Marguet, Le Mesnil is making stunning Grand Cru Champagnes from Chardonnay. With an unrivalled provenance and over two years’ bottle-ageing, our own-label Blanc de Blancs has a generous floral nose, a deliciously refreshing, yet rich palate and a clean, satisfying finish. The perfect apéritif for festivities, this Champagne is an absolute winner every time.
Under the gifted management of Gilles Marguet, Le Mesnil is making stunning Grands Crus Champagnes from Chardonnay. With an unrivalled provenance and over two years’ bottle-ageing, the wine has a generous floral nose, a deliciously refreshing, yet rich palate and a clean, satisfying finish. The perfect apéritif for festivities, this Champagne is an absolute winner every time.

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.

Sharing a name and village (Vertus) with the magnificently fashionable House Larmandier-Bernier in Champagne does not seem to have posed too many problems for Mme Larmandier of Champagne Guy Larmandier (one has not dared to enquire yet as to her Christian name) and her son François. Their Champagnes have a very distinct personality – floral, generous and wonderfully elegant.

The nose is honeyed with lime blossom and white peach – fresh, floral and elegant. There is a typical Cramant softness on the palate, with lovely harmony, absolutely no rough edges and a long creamy finish. Uncomplicated and hedonistic, this is a magnificent vin de plaisir, a pure old-school expression of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay: floral, rounded and wonderfully complete. White fruits, honeysuckle and gently buttered toast all vie for attention; this is impossible to resist!
Uncomplicated and hedonistic, this is a magnificent vin de plaisir, a pure old school expression of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay, floral, rounded and wonderfully complete. White fruits, honeysuckle and gently buttered toast all vie for attention; the wine has all the honest exuberance of the man himself and is impossible to resist!
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

The Cuvée de Réserve goes from strength to strength and is now one of the most sought-after of our non-vintage Champagnes, no mean achievement for a Grower Champagne and indicative, perhaps, of the long overdue re-appraisal of the hierarchy in this region, where the hegemony of the Grandes Marques has held sway for so long.

This perhaps explains the inherent complexity on the palate, with its notes of hazelnut, acacia and apricot garlanding the more usual descriptors of citron pressé, sweet spice and crushed rock. The dosage is seven grams per litre and the finish is powerful, with a twist of salinity to confirm the fact that the majority of the fruit is sourced from the great village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the balancing 30 percent coming from equally prestigious Grand Cru sites in Oger, Chouilly and Cramant

Sharing a name and village (Vertus) with the magnificently fashionable House Larmandier-Bernier in Champagne does not seem to have posed too many problems for Mme Larmandier of Champagne Guy Larmandier (one has not dared to enquire yet as to her Christian name) and her son François. Their Champagnes have a very distinct personality – floral, generous and wonderfully elegant.

A star wine at our inaugural Grower Champagne tasting, this is the “deluxe” cuvée from our friends at Guy Larmandier; I put deluxe in inverted commas because the price is far from deluxe, despite the incredible quality of the wine. The quintessence of Grand Cru Cramant, the 2007 boasts honeysuckle and nectarine on the nose, re-joined by a delicious, richly textured palate and an elegant, almost ethereal finish.

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.

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.

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.

An exemplary Champagne from a peerless vintage. Superlatives abound in what Julien Barbier describes as one of the very best wines he has ever made, an archetype of Chouilly Chardonnay. Toasted almonds and lemon zest vie for attention on a deliciously complex palate, with honey and brioche in support. The five grams of sugar defer gently to the power of the vintage; the finish is symphonic yet restrained, with plenty of potential underscoring the taut corridor of its peroration.

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

Rich butter and brioche on the nose, on the palate an inspiring juxtaposition of an almost tropical ripeness and an astonishing purity of flavour.Tiny bubbles and intense flavour, champagne that has been aged for over six years but still has the sturdy power of youth.

This outstanding cuvée has no dosage, relying instead on the natural exuberance and wonderful purity of the great vintage that was 2002. The style is quite broad and full-bodied, with notes of almond and ripe apple, then a flinty backdrop. A marvellous combination for oysters; go native.
Simon Field MW, BBR Wine Buyer

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

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.

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

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
Until 31st August 2017 this product is discounted by 20%. Prices shown include discount; no further discount will be applied at checkout.

Les Chetillons is situated just to the north of the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, with an almost perfect aspect and three parcels of vines which range in age from 40 to 70 years.

The weighty 2005 is displaying all of the hallmarks of elegance and complexity which have become synonymous with the Pierre Peters name. A nose rich in floral notes, honey and citrus zest – predominantly orange, precedes a palate which is breath-taking; both for the refined nature of its mousse & the harmonious balance between autolysis and precise tropical fruit.
Nicholas Stewart, Buying Department

Jean Louis Bonniare and his son Jean Louis are rather fortunate to be one of the major land-owners in the Grand Cru village of Cramant, with an impressive 17 hectares to their name in this pretty Côte des Blancs enclave just south of Epernay. Cramant is famous for elegant Chardonnay-based Champagnes; indeed, before it was banned ( la trahison des clercs) the slightly less pressurised , as it were, Crémant de Cramant was, beyond the pleasing assonance of its name, one of the most elegant styles of all Champagnes.

The essence of the style remains however, and the 2004 from Bonniare captures it perfectly; hawthorn, acacia and mirabelle plum on the nose lead to an finely-honed palate where steel-sharp acidity is tempered by the plush of high quality fruit and an autolytic legacy from three and a half years on the lees.

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.