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Vintage Blanc De Blancs Champagne a Whiter Shade of Pale tasting / savor / Vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne This article from The World of Fine Wine may not be sold, altered in any way, or circulated without this statement. Every issue of The World of Fine Wine features coverage of the world’s finest BLANC DE BLANCS CHAMPAGNE VINTAGE SAVOR: wines in their historical and cultural context, along with news, reviews, VINTAGE BLANC DE interviews, and comprehensive international auction results. For further information and to subscribe to The World of Fine Wine, please visit BLANCS CHAMPAGNE www.worldoffinewine.com or call +44 1795 414 681 A WHITER SHADE OF PALE Tom Stevenson asks what makes a great blanc de blancs and, after sharing an extensive tasting of Vintage wines from 1982 to 2009 with Michael Edwards and Andrew Jefford, concludes with them that greatness comes in many guises— from precocious wines with “an attractive elegance of linear fruit,” to mature splendors with “the gravitas and richness of Corton-Charlemagne” n Casino Royale (Ian Fleming, first edition of Casino Royale were The earliest definitive mention in the early 1980s, well after the fashion world of wine, this term only makes real 1953) James Bond considers ordering printed, Fleming’s novels became such I have found so far dates back to 1934, for blanc de blancs had been established sense for Champagne, the majority of IN 1980, A BLANC DE Ia Taittinger 1945, but the sommelier bestsellers after the first Bond film, when an intrepid English wine buyer and the use of that term had appeared which has traditionally been made from BLANCS WAS DEFINED suggests Taittinger Blanc de Blanc [sic] Dr No, was released in 1962 that he had by the name of Charles Walter Berry on thousands of labels. a large proportion of black grapes. Until AS 100 PERCENT 1943, and Bond approves, remarking sold more than 40 million copies by the observed that blanc de blancs “is not If the proliferation of the term blanc 1980, there was no legal definition of a that it is “not very well known” but time of his death in 1966. It was this often sold under firm names, but under de blancs in the ’60s was caused by blanc de blancs Champagne, and it could CHARDONNAY, BUT “probably the finest Champagne in commercial clout that brought the the village or commune name, called anyone, it was Bond, not Salon, and therefore be made from any or all of the SINCE THE UMBRELLA the world.” blanc de blancs style to the attention of Blanc de Blancs of Cramant, or Avize, 007’s endorsement coincided with the white grapes permitted for Champagne, APPELLATION With these words, Fleming put a wider, aspiring public in the ’60s. or Mesnil.” Although he enjoyed these launch of two of the greatest blanc de which included not only Chardonnay, the chic back into Champagne when “delightful wines,” Berry noted that they blancs ever: Taittinger’s Comtes de but also Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier, and ENCOMPASSING AOCS sales were hitting rock bottom just Origins “do not travel well” and were available Champagne (first vintage 1952) and Arbanne. The last two varieties are CHANGED FROM after World War II. In fact, demand As a style of Champagne, cuvées only locally. However, although Berry Dom Ruinart (first vintage 1959). The pretty obscure, ancient varieties that VQPRD TO AOP, THIS had dropped to such a low level that composed exclusively of white grapes was clearly referring to sparkling reputation and, not least, high prices were historically planted in small the size of the AOC region had to be have probably been produced since the Champagne, even at this juncture the achieved by these two early deluxe volumes in the Aube, but most of those HAS QUIETLY BEEN officially reduced in 1951 to avoid first sparkling wines from this region term blanc de blancs was most usually cuvées added a certain gravitas to the vines were removed long ago, when the DROPPED AND surplus production. became commercially available in the reserved for still wines. As Didier Chardonnay grape, which until then had primary grape variety switched from A BLANC DE BLANCS Fleming was thus a pioneer of mid-18th century. They must surely Gimonnet of Champagne Pierre been overshadowed by Pinot Noir. This Gamay to Pinot Noir. Very small product placement, and through Casino have been in existence when Henry Gimonnet told me, “My grandfather sold led to the planting of Côte de Sézanne amounts of both varieties still exist, CAN BE PRODUCED Royale he became the first person to Vizetelly wrote A History of Champagne a Côte des Roualles Blanc de Blancs almost entirely with Chardonnay in however, having been initially revived FROM ALL PERMITTED promote blanc de blancs, a style that in 1882, though it is by no means from the 1934 vintage, but it was a still the mid-1960s, and as the demand by Jacquesson for Petit Meslier and WHITE CHAMPAGNE was hardly known outside of the conclusive. Writing about Cramant, wine. We did not label Champagne as still managed to outstrip supply, so by Moutard for Arbanne. These old VARIETIES Champagne region itself at the time. Vizetelly points out, “From the blanc de blancs until 1947.” Chardonnay vines were allowed to varieties have made something of His British secret agent, Commander vineyards around this picturesque What about Champagne Salon? creep eastward from the bottom of the a comeback among the younger James Bond, was partial to other little village, and extending along the I suppose my book Champagne great slopes of the Côte des Blancs on to generation of Champenois, who are AVERAGE AND RANGE OF SCORES Champagnes, such as Bollinger and somewhat precipitous Côte de Saran […] (Sotheby’s Publications, 1986) is guilty the far more modest plains and—sin of seeking their roots. In 1980, a blanc de Average Range Dom Pérignon, and was supposedly a there is vintaged a wine from white of creating or at least perpetuating the all sins—on the wrong side of the D9. blancs Champagne was legally defined connoisseur of all fine wines, but it was grapes especially remarkable for myth that Salon was the world’s first as 100 percent Chardonnay, but since Tasting 10.5–20 the Taittinger that stood out in his first lightness and delicacy and the richness blanc de blancs Champagne. It was and What makes a great blanc de the umbrella appellation encompassing novel. He made blanc de blancs of its bouquet […]”—but he does not still is made solely from Chardonnay blancs? AOCs changed from VQPRD to AOP, ME 15.5 13.5–18 Champagne exciting and glamorous for actually indicate whether it exists as grapes, but there never was any Literally “white of whites,” a blanc this has quietly been dropped and thus AJ 14.5 10.5–18.5 a new generation of consumers in the a pure product, as he continues, “an mention of the term blanc de blancs de blancs is simply a white wine a blanc de blancs Champagne can be postwar austerity of the early 1950s. admixture of which is essential to every on Salon until the thrice-fermented produced from white grapes, and produced from all permitted white TS 16 12–20 Although fewer than 5,000 copies of the first-class champagne cuvée.” version of the 1971 vintage was released although ubiquitous throughout the Champagne varieties. The fact of the 158 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 45 | 2014 THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 45 | 2014 | 159 tasting / savor / Vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne SAVOR: VINTAGE BLANC DE BLANCS CHAMPAGNE VINTAGE SAVOR: matter is, though, that despite the three shown significantly less potential than Later still, they may achieve intense 18 points: At the time of the tasting, Lenoble standing shoulder to shoulder ancient varieties having enjoyed a the Sézannais, although Pol Roger but slow-building flavors of coffee, that was about right, but six months with such great and famous names. THIS WAS A FABULOUS minor revival of late, they still represent sources some of its grapes from here. chocolate, and macaroons on the finish. earlier I had been berating Fred These small, mostly grower TASTING. SO I MAKE less than half of one percent of all the Another lesser-known area where Pol Many blanc de blancs, however, Panaiotis, the chef de cave at Ruinart, Champagnes have often been prone vines planted; consequently, consumers Roger sources Chardonnay grapes is are more precocious, showing more about how dismal the 2002 was to overtly aldehydic aromas, but I have NO APOLOGIES FOR can assume all blanc de blancs Grauves, technically part of the Côte des immediate appeal and possessing showing; yet now, as this issue goes always highly rated their Champagnes FINDING AS MANY AS Champagnes will be pure Chardonnay Blancs but separated from the an attractive elegance of linear fruit to press, it has moved on and up, to when they manage to avoid this; some 11 BLANC DE BLANCS unless specified to the contrary on the contiguous vineyards on the famed in abundance at an early stage. the point that it has just been awarded of these producers have been working THAT ARE WORTHY label (front or back). eastern slopes by the boar-infested the World Champion Deluxe Blanc hard to produce a less oxidative style, Most of the best blanc de blancs forest Bois d’Avize. Grauves might not The tasting de Blancs trophy (see pp.40–47). and as these cuvées demonstrate, it is OF 18.5 POINTS. AFTER are produced from grapes grown have sexy ring of the grands crus such Michael Edwards had a plane to catch Chardonnay has such impressive paying off.
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