Vintage Blanc De Blancs Champagne a Whiter Shade of Pale

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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 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. The soft and sumptuous ALL, AT THE PRICES exclusively in one or more of the as Avize or Oger, let alone Mesnil or and was unable to taste all of the potential longevity that it is inevitable 2000 Pol Roger and the multi-award- THESE CHAMPAGNES Côte des Blancs villages, and of these Cramant, but anyone who has tasted Champagnes, which was a great pity, that many of the Champagnes in the winning Taittinger Comtes de Le Mesnil-sur-Oger has consistently the 1928 pure Grauves reserve wine at since he missed a number of truly great tasting have yet to reach their peak. Champagne 2005 have been two of the DEMAND, THERE proved superior in terms of potential Pol Roger, which is unbelievably pale, Champagnes here, and I do not use I can easily imagine that a number most consistent blanc de blancs on the SHOULD BE AT LEAST longevity and complexity, while with flecks of green glittering in that term lightly. This was a fabulous of other wines to which I awarded market for a while, so it is no surprise to THAT MANY GREAT Cramant is capable of expressing the its reflection, will never doubt the tasting, and it is on occasions like this 17, 17.5, or 18 points could, like the 2002 me that they stood out with a 19-point greatest finesse. Fabulous blanc de potential of this relatively modest that I owe it to the readers to be very Dom Ruinart, achieve a higher score score. Then along came the 2002 WINES OUT OF THE blancs can, however, be made outside premier cru. clear-cut about which wines stood out in the future. Palmer. I was not impressed by the 76 WE TASTED, AND the Côte des Blancs. For example, and which of those definitely shone So, I make no apologies for finding 2007 in 75cl bottle, but I have tasted IT IS THE EXPENSIVE almost half of a typical Dom Ruinart How it ages better than others—even to the point as many as 11 blanc de blancs that are it in magnum and promise you that ONES THAT FAIL TO blend comes from Chardonnay grown Blanc de blancs is often portrayed as of giving the most outstanding wine worthy of 18.5 points. After all, at the it will be special. When you buy any on the northern Montagne de Reims at the lightest of Champagnes. Some are, 20 points, if necessary, and to hell with prices these Champagnes demand, vintage of Palmer Blanc de Blancs, AMAZE US WITH Sillery and Verzy, and Palmer is famous particularly in their youth, but they whatever others might think about the there should be at least that many great you really should buy it in magnums THEIR QUALITY among the cognoscenti for its blanc should not all be consigned to the use or validity of the so-called perfect wines out of the 76 we tasted, and it is and not drink it before it is ten years THAT WE SHOULD BE de blancs from Trépail and Villers- apéritif bin, since the very best stand out score. In fact, for me, awarding a score the expensive ones that fail to amaze us old. The magnum effect on the 2002 Marmery on the eastern Montagne for their elegance, focus, and seemingly of 18.5 is actually harder than awarding with their quality that we should be provided such finesse that I simply had WORRIED ABOUT de Reims. Everyone knows that the weightless length. Linearity is the a score of 20! worried about. And there were plenty to give another half-point difference. So, Montagne de Reims is classic Pinot Noir hallmark of a fine blanc de blancs, As soon as I saw the crib sheet, I was of disappointments. Some shockers, too. what else could I do when something country, but the greatest Pinot Noir but Chardonnay also happens to be the very happy with my scoring. A score of When we tasted the Perrier-Jouët Belle as magical as the 2000 Krug Clos du vineyards are found in two pairs of longest-lived of Champagne’s grapes— 18.5 is a big statement. It might not seem Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2000 and 2002, Mesnil came along? Well, having neighboring villages: Verzy and thus, with sufficient cellaring, some like it when I managed to find 11 blanc for example, I wondered if clear glass already given a score of 19.5, the only Verzenay on the northern Montagne, of the greatest blanc de blancs can de blancs worthy of 18.5 points, but could be the problem and wondered possibility of communicating that and Bouzy and Ambonnay on the achieve the gravitas and richness of when scoring, not just Champagne, but why there were no back-up samples. another Champagne stood out further southern Montagne. However, as you a Corton-Charlemagne. any style of wine, I find the step up from I was not surprised, however, when I was to give it a score of 20 and, with drive from Verzy and Ambonnay, look Typically, a classic blanc de blancs 18 to 18.5 significantly harder than any discovered their identities on the crib another 20 Champagnes to taste, pray closely at how the vines are trained, and can start off so tight, reserved, and other half-point increment on the scale. that nothing even more impressive sheet. I was not surprised, but I was very TOM STEVENSON’S TOP WINES you will see that you have moved away austere that it may appear to be lacking It probably stems from 18.5 being the sad all the same, because these wines in turns up later. That is why it is much from the cordon style of the Pinot Noir in fruit in its youth, or it could have just threshold for a gold medal in most of perfect condition are superb examples easier for me to score 20 than 18.5; Krug Clos du Mesnil 2000 20 to the Chablis style, because almost all a light and very simple fruit of green the competitions I have judged in. of graceful evolution. So, yet again I feel and that is why it does not matter when Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2002 (magnum) the vines between those two villages are apple or watermelon. However, if you This gold medal concept does not compelled to warn everyone (rather someone blathers on about there being 19.5 planted with Chardonnay—close to notice a minerality, even the hint of conflict with WFW ’s 20-point scale, than merely advising them) to keep no such thing as a perfect wine. That Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2002 19 500ha (1,235 acres) in total. The style is minerality lurking beneath the fruit, even though WFW has a separate top any Champagne in a clear bottle not is their problem, not mine. I’m just Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs very different from that of the Côte des then it will be worth aging for at least tier for 19–20. When judging, I tend to just in a cool and totally dark place, using the top score, not making 2005 19 Blancs, neither better nor worse, and a few years. With just 24 months extra think of 19 as “solid gold” and 19.5–20 but in its box. any declaration of philosophical Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2007 18.5 very special when blended with about bottle age, such blanc de blancs swell as “super-gold,” with any wines importance. Critics may accuse me Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs 2008 18.5 20 percent Sézannais Chardonnay in out with lovely, crisp, zippy-zingy fruit achieving such stratospheric scores How these blanc de blancs fared of scoring too high in the first place, Deutz Blanc de Blancs 2007 18.5 magnums of the best vintages from —citrus, white and yellow stone fruits probably ending up as trophy winners Ayala has always been one of but my answer would be that every Guy Charlemagne Mesnillésime Grand Cru 2004 Palmer. With 1,135ha (2,800 acres), —and blossom with citrus and floral in my estimation. Champagne’s best-value brands, and one of the 11 Champagnes that scored 18.5 the Sézannais boasts the second-largest aromatics. The next stage will see the When I give 18.5 points, it means over the past eight or nine years it has 18.5 points deserved 18.5 points. Giving Chartogne-Taillet Heurtebises 2008 18.5 concentration of Chardonnay vineyards development of those citrus fruits as that a wine is not just a great wine, it is also been one of its fastest improving. them anything less would be wrong. Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2004 18.5 in Champagne and contains some they gain intensity, while the white also showing great at the time of tasting. The 2007 Blanc de Blancs must rank All three tasters have overlap wines Alfred Gratien Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2007 very good growers, but it has in my and yellow stone fruits can give way to For 18.5 points, a wine has to sing, as one of its finest Champagnes to date. among their top-scoring blanc de blancs, 18.5 estimation performed best when used really juicy peachiness and sometimes as Clive Coates MW would say. We are I must confess that I expected nothing but I have not attended any WFW Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995 as part of a blend. The hilly area of Mont even tropical fruit. Given sufficient age, supposed to be judging the quality on less than outstanding blanc de blancs tasting where these individual lists 18.5 Berru to the east of Reims is planted most blanc de blancs develop a toasty the day, not trying to see the future, from Alfred Gratien, Lanson, have proved to be so crucial. If any Lanson Noble Cuvée de Lanson Blanc de Blancs entirely with Chardonnay. You can richness, while the best will mellow into so if a great wine is holding back, it does Delamotte, Dom Ruinart, and Charles readers like the aldehydic style or think Brut 1995 18.5 clearly see it if you look north from biscuity-creamy richness, gradually not make that step from 18 to 18.5, as far Heidsieck, and they did not let me that Champagne should be halfway to Lenoble Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 2008 18.5 any of the villages on the northern acquiring complex aromas of honey, as I am concerned. The 2002 Dom down, but it was good to see Bonville, Tokaji, then they should ignore my Dom Ruinart 1996 (magnum) 18.5 Montagne de Reims, but it has so far hazelnuts, walnuts, or Brazil nuts. Ruinart, for example, to which I gave Charlemagne, Chartogne-Taillet, and recommendations completely.

Guy Charlemagne Mesnillésimé very prominent yet super-ripe, super-round, very aromatic force all the way. | 17.5 AJ | Full-gold; gentle mousse. Bread and Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil now or in 24–36 months for something more 18.5 17 Grand Cru 2004 (12% ABV) drinker-friendly. Another exceptionally well-made TS | Peachy Chardonnay fruit with an evolved mix honeycomb, but a slight chemical note, too. 2002 (12% ABV) evolved. | 17 wine with great poise and finesse. The finish is of vanilla, coffee, and toast. | 17 Vividly and thrustingly acidic on the palate, AJ | Mid-gold; gentle mousse. Very attractive long yet fresh, full of sap and ivy leaf, and there with some counterbalancing dosage, but not the AJ | Full gold; gentle mousse. Unhappy aromatic aromas, with lots of bready fullness over some is all the ground-stone complexity that you could Deutz Blanc de Blancs 1995 vinosity or secondary overtones to counterbalance evolution here: closed and a little chemical/stinky. 17 tangerine and orange citrus: classic and well want, too. The fruit qualities here are admirably (12% ABV) the acidity. An intense blanc de blancs, but Disappointing, estery palate. | NS crafted. The palate is firm, vinous, and long, with subtle. A few more years should bring greater beginning to look just a little gaunt now. | 13.5 TS | I cannot be too harsh score-wise because this splendid intensity; that same winning combination aromatic detail and nuance. Just slightly taut and ME | A more delicate expression than [Lanson TS | Immaculately integrated oak and brilliant, is, in itself, rather complete, but it is a little bit too of soft bread dough and citrus peels haunts the acidically firm at the end but that will soften... Noble Cuvée de Lanson Blanc de Blancs Brut yeast-complexed Chardonnay fruit. So focused mellow, needing a bit of grip and grace to propel it aromatic notes palate. Texturally it’s full; the ripely Outstandingly pure, limpid blanc de blancs from 1995] but still exceptional. | 17 and so precise. Magical! | 20 upward. | 17 green fruits sing out; the dosage is well judged fine vineyards, surely. | 18.5 AJ | Pale to mid-gold. A much brighter, fresher and unobtrusive. Excellent blanc de blancs from TS | Beautifully fresh and clean, with lovely yeast- wine than many of its peers; still softly and 2004. An absolutely pure, virtuous example of the complexed Chardonnay fruit, this is a delight to freshly lemony. On the palate, it is lemony, style. | 18 drink on its own but would also be ideal at the intense, and long, with some powdered- TS | Do I detect a little hint of coffee growing table. | 18.5 stone complexities to finish. Well-preserved, here? Rich but beautifully balanced by acidity. even athletic, aged blanc de blancs, with a Gaston Chiquet Blanc de Blancs Clean and tight, with a focused mid-palate and Chartogne-Taillet Heurtebises considerable arsenal of charm. I’d love to spend d’Aÿ Grand Cru 2004 16.5 17.5 a fantail on the finish. I like! | 18.5 2008 (12% ABV) a little time with this wine. | 16.5 (12.5% ABV) TS | Nice, fresh, crisp—but am I missing Charles Heidsieck Blanc des ME | This has an abundance of agrumes, something? I would try this at the table. | 17.5 AJ | Full yellow; sustained mousse. Creamy and 18 Millénaires 1995 (12% ABV) grapefruit-like fruit, and fills the palate with a fine soft, a slice of peach flesh, a whisper of hazels: calcaire minerality. Excellent. | 16.5 Deutz Blanc de Blancs 2007 that’s what you hope for in a glass of blanc 17 ME | Very full: a powerful wine. | 17.5 AJ | Pale gold; fine, steady mousse. The nose in (12% ABV) Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs de blancs. Lots of dosage here, which rather 17 AJ | Full gold; evanescent mousse. Gentle, part reflects the vanilla, which is a component of 2002 (magnum) (12% ABV) overwhelms the delicate fruit; some stone to honeyed, and full; very calm and settled, but the varietal Chardonnay spectrum here, but in part ME | A good wine, with little of the lean asperity finish. A pert, toothsome blanc de blancs, but not attractive, too. Hints (all hints) of hazelnut the plant sap, ivy leaf, and milled stone, which is that can mark the also-rans of this cold vintage. AJ | Pale gold (from magnum); fine mousse. Lots profound. | 14.5 shortbread, honeysuckle, fresh peaches, fresh pure Champagne class. Excellent work. On the Generous citrus fruits, a hint of spice, and a well- of autolytic character here, and perhaps a little TS | Rich and toasty and will get toastier, but has nectarines. Light, long, sweet-finishing, but palate, it is long, vinous, structured, pure, and made Champagne that worked well in a difficult underwined beneath, but overall this is a nice the acidity and structure to take it. | 18 before the dosage closes in there is lots of poised—fine raw materials, in sum. This is a blanc year. | 15.5 thing to smell. Just a little farmy edge to it, which creamy, graceful yellow summer-fruit richness. de blancs of great finesse and elegance. There are AJ | Bright, light gold with languid mousse. Lots I quite enjoy. Clean, fresh, citric, still young but a Deutz Amour de Deutz 2005 16.5 Powdered stone to finish, lending a little sobriety. apple-quince fruits but drawn with great restraint; of biscuity fullness here; almost a malty note, too. little one-dimensional; very apples and lemons in (12% ABV) A well-aged blanc de blancs of almost perfect the richness is white almond; the acidity is sap- Agreeable and full, but not super-subtle. Vivid, its flavors. | 14 proportions, leaving the mouth fresh, clean, and filled and teasing. I am hugely enthusiastic about round, fresh, lively, long; fine-quality fruit, well TS | Gorgeously seductive toasty aromas, Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs ME | The balance of fruit and acids is better 16.5 hoping for more. It would be lovely to see an this relatively young, shy wine. | 18 handled; creamy textures; and a finish with plenty with mirrored fruit on the palate that is just so 2008 (12.5% ABV) more harmonious than in [Taittinger Comtes de alternative with a little less liqueur. | 18.5 TS | Although obviously rich, that classic 2008 of poise and freshness. Outstanding vinification complete. Stunning! | 19.5 Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2005], but there is TS | An amazing, mouth-filling experience, acidity brings it ramrod straight and is softened by work with good raw materials. So good, indeed, ME | This has real virtue: energetic, mineral, lovely little complexity here. 15.5 incredibly mellowed by the yeast-complexing a gloriously silky mousse. A class act now, this can you wonder what else it has to do—and I guess Dom Ruinart 2002 green fruits, greengage, your favorite orchard. AJ | Full gold; gentle, languid mousse. Sappy, 17 process. Long, fine. | 18.5 only get better. | 18.5 the answer is that there isn’t quite the electric (12.5% ABV) Young but the class is evident. | 17 fresh, poised aromas of some subtlety: good. nerve, incision, and aromatic profundity of the AJ | Pale to mid-gold; a slightly desultory mousse. Mouth-filling, light, lifted, poised, and graceful. Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2002 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs very greatest blanc de blancs, as well as a slight AJ | Full glowing gold; languid mousse. Soft, Slightly coarse Bakelite and washed-linen aromas, A shapely, aerial, ballerina-like blanc de blancs, 18 17.5 (12.5% ABV) 2004 (12% ABV) lack of aromatic finesse. The vintage at work? gentle, honeyed, gracious, and almondy; also though I’m carping; in a noisy wine bar, it would which many would surely consider the aesthetic But in every other respect, this is an outstanding something a little mossy, earthy, and mushroomy just smell right. On the palate, it’s a sound if not ideal for this style, with prominent acidity AJ | Full yellow-gold; gentle mousse. A rich, fresh AJ | Pale; sustained mousse. Lots of aromatic contender. | 16.5 now. On the palate, and rather to my surprise, electrifying blanc de blancs, with plenty of light, carrying the rest of the palate in its train. Sappy fruit mix; admirable lift and primary engagement architecture here: rich bread dough and brioche, TS | Lovely yeast-complexed Chardonnay fruit this is very dry (extra-brut?) and driving, with a vanilla-laden fruit; decent depth and length; and and fresh to the last drop. Just a touch grassy, to for a wine almost 14 years old. A touch of butter, vanilla cream, ripe dessert apples. Vivid and fresh lifted by a super-silky mousse, this will get more relatively austere finish. Piercing and long. There some vinosity. All fine, in other words, until you carp. I slightly miss some richer, stonier elements but just a touch—cold butter, not melted. On on the palate, with bright, edgy fruit (green apple complex and attain even greater finesse as it is good aromatic resonance from that lean apple take the magnifying glass to it. | 13.5 in the finish, but this is the brisk apéritif style the palate, this is deep, structured, mouth-filling, and green plum), some yeasty complexities, ages. | 18.5 fruit, but its very leanness is still a surprising TS | Rich, energetic, delicious and classy, with a personified. | 16.5 bright, and poised; the classic green-apple and excellent palate aromatics, and a flowery finish. contrast to aromatic charm. Still some years silky-soft mousse. | 18.5 TS | Although the nose is as evolved as one would ivy-leaf flavors are long and vinous. A very firm, Finely crafted and satisfying. | 16.5 ahead of it, I’d say. | 15.5 expect a 2005 to be, the medium-weight, fine, large-scaled blanc de blancs that, nonetheless, TS | Gorgeous! I just love the fruit, the little toasty TS | Mellow, toasty aromas floating through toasty Guy Charlemagne Cuvée taut, and tense fruit on the palate is waiting to be maintains its poise and chic. The dosage is notes, the fabulous acidity—everything! | 18.5 fruit with hints of mocha and white chocolate. | 18 Charlemagne Grand Cru released. Come back in 12 months! | 17 16.5 well judged, rounding the palate without Blanc de Blancs Brut 2009 fogging it. | 16.5 Le Mesnil Prestige Blanc de Dom Ruinart 1996 (magnum) (12.5% ABV) 17 TS | Beautifully soft and silky mousse, with Blancs Grand Cru 2002 17.5 (12.5% ABV) light notes of toast wafting through gently rich, (12% ABV) ME | Ripe yellow predominant color; the gras yeast-complexed fruits. Perfect to drink now but ME | Still strong acidity, but the wine is fresh ripeness of fruits melds with a decent acidity gives the feeling that it is not going down and will AJ | Mid-gold, with a sustained mousse. Lovely and vibrant, not dying as some are. Best in crispness on nose and palate. Well made. | 16 continue to age gracefully. | 19 scents: billowing snowy vanilla, a little warmed magnum. | 17.5 AJ | Full gold; steady mousse. Broad, clean, cream, poised summer fruits. Outstanding AJ | Very full gold. Very rich and elderly, with the attractive; generalized northern orchard fruits: Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2007 aromatic craftsmanship. On the palate, the wine classic walnut notes of fully mature Champagne apple, pear, quince. And the palate is exactly what 17.5 (12% ABV) is deep, bready, full, and plump, with a restrained Chardonnay. Gratifying and charming. Lush, full, the nose promises. This is never going to be a dosage and fruits that are now adult and vinous. open, and waxy on the palate, with walnut-butter blanc de blancs to write essays about, but it does ME | Rich agrumes fruits and a real core of flavors; It’s long; it’s almost punchy. Perhaps you’d hope richness in plenty, vivid acidity, and a very round its job very cleanly and effectively, and no one will no asperity | 16 for a little more finesse from a blanc de blancs, but Krug Clos du Mesnil 2000 dosage. Indulgent now, but I wouldn’t keep this for feel short-changed in sipping it. It has elegance; 17 AJ | Mid-gold; fine mousse. Full, elegant, sweetly the rigor, depth, and truth to place of this wine are (12.5% ABV) much longer (and it’s in magnum...). | 15.5 the fruit quality is very sound; it has medium beguiling, coolly creamy, though not finely outstanding. In terms of concentration, too, this TS | As pale as a three-year-old Champagne! length, vinosity, and sappiness. Simply delicious, detailed as yet (give it time). Elegant, fresh, is one of the top two or three wines in the flight. ME | Bingo! Lovely Champagne of controlled Gorgeous! So fine and fresh, so complete in sum. | 16 powdery palate, with lots of stony finesse to it. As Magnificent work. That drill bit of fruit pushes on autolysis, secondary vinous flavors, toastiness, and mellow, with gracefully aged, mellow, yet TS | Lovely, fresh citrus-fruit aromas, very with some of the other 2007 wines, the acidity is right the way through the finish and buzzes with vinosity. | 17.5 amazingly fresh coffee fruit. | 18.5 young, but with a gorgeously soft mousse. Drink

Pascal Doquet Premier Cru vanilla, and green apple. Understated but come- Clos Cazals Blanc de Blancs butter. Teasing and beguiling, which is what you Lanson Noble Cuvée de Lanson Le Mont Aimé de Blancs Brut hither. That vigorous mousse is very apparent on Extra Brut Grand Cru Oger hope for from blanc de blancs. Mouth-filling, Blanc de Blancs Brut 2000 MICHAEL EDWARDS’S VERDICT 16.5 16 2002 (12.5% ABV) the palate, which puffs and blows when you first Vieilles Vignes 2002 16 elegant, and long, with nuanced, fine-drawn fruit, (12.5% ABV) sip like a harbor squall, but this is fine-grained, (12% ABV) creamy richness, yeasty fullness, and a powdered A fine tasting of Vintage Chardonnay AJ | Pale to mid-gold; delicate mousse. Lots of subtly textured brut nature blanc de blancs of stone finish, yet the fruit carries all these elements ME | Toasty and developed, but still fresh and Champagnes, with a good coverage of very well-organized orchard fruit on the aromas of impeccable balance and finesse, with a splendidly ME | A deeper hue, gold with flecks of bronze; very right the way through the central palate without vital. | 16.5 available years. Of special interest: 2008, this wine; resonant and mouthwatering. Elegant, stony finish. The discreet fruit has an inner energy much into secondary, vanilla-ish ripe orchard fruit being overwhelmed by them, which is what AJ | Full gold; sustained mousse. A little gruff and young but a great classic, dry vintage in the making; 2006, a charmer for instant long, lean, structured, and taut; quite a pithy, zesty and litheness, too. There isn’t the out-and-out aromas; still quite tight palate, everything healthy, happens with some of the less successful blanc de straightforward for a wine of this age. Lively, fresh, pleasure, why we drink Champagne in the style of blanc de blancs, but the fruit has intrinsic beauty of flavor and form for a top score, but this is no hint of corpulence, needs a little more time. blancs. Excellent. | 17.5 frank, and full. Very Chardonnay, too. Satisfying first place; 2004, which seems better every class, and there’s depth and vinosity behind. The excellent Champagne nonetheless. After a while in Some substance here. | 16.5 TS | Gently rich, but lacks elegance and has some without being seductive. | 14.5 time one tastes it, in the best examples finish is satisfyingly stony, too. Pungent, long, and the glass, the mousse settles creamily, too. | 16.5 AJ | Full gold; languid mousse. Generous lemon- alcohol showing on finish. | 13.5 TS | Fresh, crisp, and clean, with mellow, toasty challenging the great 2002s for extra challenging. | 16.5 TS | Very rich, possibly too rich, but with the 2008 butter scents; lush and rich, but not vulgar. Good fruit and fine acidity. | 17 precision, focus, and finesse, plus a TS | Spoiled by oxidative notes. | NS acidity and good pincushion mousse, it just about intensity on the palate, and that generous, downy Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs 16 burgeoning ampleness; 2002 itself, which, manages to keep its balance and energy. About as lemon butter is backed by finely milled stone, so de Vertus 2008 (12% ABV) Joseph Perrier Blanc de Blancs 16 owing to pressure of time, I regretfully Alfred Gratien Blanc de Blancs far removed from an apéritif style as anyone could it crosses the palate without leaving any sense 2006 (12% ABV) 16.5 largely had to miss out on, yet I believe Grand Cru 2007 (12.5% ABV) imagine for a brut nature. Needs food! | 15 of vulgarity, simplicity, or disequilibrium. Not at ME | Slightly softer feel and touch; less mineral, there’s no hurry, since the best ones still all Gothic, by contrast, so look elsewhere if that’s more licorice, a signal of maturity. | 15.5 ME | Another fine example of 2006’s virtues. need time (NB Krug and Billecart yet to ME | A bit lean in terms of acidity and texture, what you want. But if you prefer a slightly more AJ | Pale gold; a fine, steady mousse. Nutty, Fresh, ripe, expressive fruit, with a paper clip of release; Bolly RD out this spring). with sweet fruit. So-so. | 14 bosomy blanc de blancs with the vineyard buttery; the “country maid” style of blanc de acidity and a lovely velvet texture in the mouth. Delving into the detail, I was delighted to AJ | Pale gold; fine mousse. This smells discreet and the soil lurking behind, this is an excellent blancs. Relatively concentrated, with a full frontal, Harmony and balance. | 16.5 see my 17 and above (exceptional) scores, and restrained: no foams or creams at all. In their choice. | 16 broad-beamed style, but plenty of ground stone AJ | Full yellow-gold, with a steady mousse. for wines tasted blind, were among my place, the gentle aromatic presence of limestone TS | Evolved aromas do not do justice to the beneath. I like this: relaxed and affable, but with Soft pear scents, yet the aromas lack focus and regular favorites: the 2008 Larmandier- masonry at the end of a summer day... which is smoky-infused fruit on the palate and lovely soft some secondary marrow to it; satisfying and poise. Vivid, exuberant, amply contoured palate, Bernier Terre de Vertus, perfect apéritif, not dissimilar to a fine, very young premier cru mousse or the lengthy finish. I would give this sustained. The fruit perfumes the finish, too. Just a yet the lick of caramelly dosage is evident and crisp, salivating, a sense of the driving Chassagne. On the palate, the wine is big, rich, another 6–12 months before drinking. | 15.5 hint of sherbet, but not enough to spoil the palate slightly overwhelms the vitality of the vintage fruit. chalk, elegant, propelling; the 2005 ripe, with lots of resonant acidity; well made, pure in any way. | 15 Attractive but not intricate. | 14 Gimonnet Oenophile, silken textured, so utterly different from too many unbalanced and elegant. That ripe acidity is very dominant; Deutz Blanc de Blancs 1988 TS | A brilliant balance between high acids, great TS | Lovely balance of fresh aromatics and yeast- 16 wines in this problematic year; the and then the masonry (pounded to a dust) is back (12% ABV) energy, and finesse of fruit. Can easily be drunk complexed fruit on the palate. Has elegance, vigor, single-vineyard 2004 Jacquesson Champ at the end, but I slightly miss a little more middle- Lenoble Grand Cru Blanc de now but will age gracefully over the long term. | 18 and finesse. | 18 16.5 Caïn, Avize, lovely to the eye, nose, and palate complexity, a little more sap, and little more (12% ABV) AJ | Mid-gold; evanescent mousse. Gentle scents Blancs 2008 palate—Welsh gold, admirable tense yet energy and vitality. But this is being overcritical, of autumn fruit, but a slight cardboard hint, too. Pierre Gimonnet Oenophile Philipponnat Grand Blanc Brut 16 fully ripe scents, a mouthful of candied perhaps; this is still outstanding and stylish blanc ME | Very positive scents and flavors of agrumes Sweet, toothsome, and walnutty, reclining on the Extra Brut 2008 (12.5% ABV) LV Long Vieillissement 1988 16 lemon interwoven with the earthen tastes de blancs, which will get a great drinker response fruit, edged, with lovely acidity and a deep sense chaise longue... and lots of fun to drink. Not quite (12% ABV) of this fine lieu-dit. as it tastes so different to a classic Chardonnay/ of minerals. | 17 grand or sublime, however; just a little too soft ME | Light yellow, ripe hue; citrus and a touch of I was glad to cherry-pick from mature Pinot Noir blend—and is so lovely! | 17 AJ | Full gold; steady mousse. Lots of sweet pear and cuddly for that. Very good blanc de blancs pear and yellow peach. Sensuous, almost ready, AJ | Pale to mid-gold; evanescent mousse. Well vintages, especially in 2000, now à point, TS | Succulently citrus Chardonnay fruit and here, on the nose. The palate is bright, sherbetty, nonetheless. | 15.5 amicable. | 16 preserved alongside some of its peers, though led by the glorious Krug Clos du Mesnil, perfectly oaked, very long and smooth, supported tangy, relatively simple; the dosage in the wine TS | Overroasted coffee dregs and toast. More AJ | Pale gold and gentle, steady mousse. a little bit stiff and raw in character, a little taut a miracle of poised richness in this by a fluffy mousse. Has finesse. | 18.5 then gives it a gentle confectionary finish. I get the interest than seductive. | 16.5 Uneventful aromatic profile: fabrics, green plum, and green and austere. Some of the others are challenging vintage. Good to see Dom sense that the raw materials have been stretched perhaps a little honeysuckle. The fruit qualities almost too evolved, but with this wine’s aroma Ruinart as the one of the best ’96s, and Lanson Noble Cuvée de Lanson here. It’s “well made” by folk who know what they Diebolt-Vallois Fleur de Passion here are a little tenuous and light, so the dosage is you wonder why it hasn’t done more. On the Lanson Noble Cuvée Blanc de Blancs ’95, 16 Blanc de Blancs Brut 1995 16.5 are doing, but this isn’t a great blanc de blancs of 2006 (12.5% ABV) evident, but it’s not cloying; simple, graceful, pretty palate, it is green, taut, and tight. Youthful, yes; young, vigorous and delicate, approaching (12.5% ABV) purity and breeding. | 13.5 enough. A touch sherbetty, even. You’d begin to concentrated, yes; lots of incision, but a slightly its 20th birthday. TS | Chock-a-block full of autolysis at the time ME | Ripe fruit the dominant impression, and a want something a little deeper and sappier after green sherbetty character and lack of generosity ME | Lovely, expressive, ripe, and powerful ’95 of tasting, with minuscule bubbles, this blanc de hint of licorice: maturity. | 15.5 the first glass. | 14 in the final analysis. | 14.5 —as it should be. | 18 blancs is delicious now but will obviously retain its AJ | Quite deep yellow-gold; steady mousse. TS | Very fruity, fresh, and soft. So 2009! Easy to TS | So pale with such pure, juicy peach. I cannot MICHAEL EDWARDS’S TOP WINES AJ | Full gold, with a very soft and evanescent elegance as it ages. | 18.5 Classy though very Burgundian aromas of drink now, but will also evolve beautifully. | 18 understand why this Champagne has not aged, mousse now. Aromatically a little tired and sliced mushroom, vanilla, and beaten cream. has not even mellowed! | 17.5 Jacquesson Avize Champ Caïn Extra Brut 2004 18 cardboardy. Very plump and seemingly richly Philipponnat Grand Blanc 2006 Full, mouth-filling, and turning on a near-Vegas Jacquesson Avize Champ Caïn 16.5 16 Lanson Noble Cuvée de Lanson Blanc de Blancs Brut dosed on the palate. I’m beginning to get the (12% ABV) charm, this is another very opulent 2006: Extra Brut 2004 (12% ABV) Taittinger Comtes de 1995 18 sense that if you want blanc de blancs to age well, broad-beamed, busty, and... not quite blowsy, Champagne Blanc de Blancs 16 Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Brut you need to be very parsimonious with the liqueur ME | This Champagne speaks sunshine and because it is Champagne after all, but we’re ME | fine, subtle gently evolving Welsh gold; 2005 (12.5% ABV) Nature Blanc de Blancs 2008 18 d’expédition. Fully evolved, harmonious, but rather ripeness; fine, toasty Chardonnay nose, seductive almost beginning to flirt with that. There’s some inviting harmonious citrus-scale aromas, open, Krug Clos du Mesnil 2000 17.5 candied. | 12.5 but enhanced by fresh flowing, crisp energy and ground stone in the finish, but it’s less evident in friendly but elegant, with something in reserve, ME | Raw, edgy acidity, somewhat out of balance TS | Beautiful coffee-toasty fruit, supported by sense of the chalk. Excellent to exceptional for the a wine like this than it would be in a brut nature with admirable tension; palate complete with the ripe fruit of ’05. Fair, but no more than Pierre Gimonnet Oenophile Extra Brut 2005 17.5 crisp acids and a fine, pincushion mousse. | 18.5 vintage. | 17 or an extra-brut. Nonetheless, you can’t fault its confirmation of nose, lovely balance of now that. | 14.5 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995 17.5 AJ | Pale gold with a languid mousse. Lots of exuberance, and it is fun to drink. | 15.5 candied lemon fruit, velvet texture and long, quite AJ | Attractive green-gold; fine mousse. There’s Dom Ruinart 1996 (magnum) 17.5 Larmandier-Bernier Terre de mayflower, honey, and pollen here, plus that TS | Distinctive Chardonnay aromas supported by defined finish. More than excellent. | 18 almost a slight gunflint reductive quality here; Vertus Premier Cru Brut Nature note that Michael Broadbent MW used to call well-integrated, fine oak. Soft and long. | 17 AJ | Steady mousse in this pale gold wine. very tight and sappy. The palate, too, almost has Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs 2008 17 16.5 Blanc de Blancs 2008 “fishskin.” A blanc de blancs of flowery charm, and Fresh, light, and powdery as far as it goes; a Sauvignon-like, vegetal quality, which suggests Deutz Blanc de Blancs 1995 17 (12.5% ABV) very much my kind of thing. On the palate, this is Duval-Leroy Blanc de Blancs not hugely aromatic. Vinous, full, correct but shaded canopies. How would the ordinary 16 Duval-Leroy Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature 2002 17 rich, elegant, expressive, and multidimensioned: Grand Cru 2006 (12.5% ABV) the fruit is slightly raw and ungenerous. drinker find this wine? Vital and attractive, but it Lenoble Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 2008 17 ME | Pale yellow, lively mousse; an intriguing nose, delicate, very stony fruit, and armfuls of wild Nonetheless, it’s a pleasant glass of blanc de still reminds me as much of Marlborough as of Le lime, linden—quite dancing and energetic; fine hawthorn and other mayblossom flowers laid ME | This is the best so far of this flight; tension, blancs and the gratifying mineral-salt notes Mesnil. The dosage seems very sweet alongside Lenoble Cuvée Gentilhomme 2006 17 mouthfeel, appetizing, crisp, salivating, a sense over it. Poise, finesse, elegance, “minerality”: They energy preserved in a vintage where there can qualify the finish. | 13.5 this very green, vital fruit, so for me this wine Philipponnat Grand Blanc 2006 17 of the driving chalk: upright, propelling. A perfect are all here. Lots of stone in the finish, indeed. be a lack of it: a very proper Champagne, at once TS | A lovely balance of freshness and mature hasn’t yet achieved full harmony. Puzzling but apéritif, from a great young year—on the up. Remarkable wine, too, in that it has all of these gourmand and serious. | 16.5 fruit, with textbook creaminess more a texture good in its own way. | 14.5 Exceptional. Splendidly digestible. | 18 rich notes present but without ever overwhelming AJ | Full yellow-gold; gentle mousse. Pure and than an aroma. Classically very dry in true extra- TS | Very lightly toasty, fine and delicious in the AJ | Gold, with a lively seething mousse. Attractive, its elemental vitality. Bravo! | 18.5 fine-grained aromas: subtle and delicate, with brut style. Slightly oxidative within perfectly most graceful of ways, with great acidity. This is powdery aromas: a fine snow of milled chalk, TS | Too rich, too heavy. | 14 mushroom and almond notes but no extravagant acceptable bounds. | 16.5 what finesse is all about. | 19

Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs and athletic palate; pure; a more reductive style of TS | A soft-hay, straw-like aroma. Fine now, but the aromas here: plenty of white mayblossom; intense and exuberant, but a bit obvious, without 15.5 de Vertus 2007 (12% ABV) winemaking—still young-tasting. Honorable. | 16 will go oxidative. Drink up. | 14.5 plenty of ground stone; plenty of pounded almond. the charm of subtlety that you hope for with blanc AJ | Pale gold; fine mousse. Fresh orchard fruits Fragrant and enticing, with no coarse or false de blancs. Nonetheless, it is an excellent party ME | Similar in style to [Ayala Blanc de Blancs on a breezy day; lightly lactic, banana hint behind. Pierre Gimonnet Spécial Club notes. After a while in the glass, it gets a little choice. | 14 15 2007] but less intense. | 15 Soundly constructed, medium-weight palate built 2005 (12.5% ABV) heavier and more pollen-like, even honeyed. A TS | Oxidative, but not overevolved and has its AJ | Pale to mid-gold. Yeasty, earthy, malty, around a core of that same apple-and-pear fruit. lovely palate of generosity yet complexity, too. moments. | 14.5 even a touch of white chocolate. Very full of the Not particularly chalky or stony on the finish, and ME | Again, brisk acidity, and a straightforward The fruit is soft, downy, poised lemon with foamy diagnostic ’07 ripeness here; plump and round. the fruits are more satisfying than exquisite. But it’s fruitiness. Not complex. | 15 crème anglaise; there’s also a stony intricacy and Duval-Leroy Blanc de Blancs 14.5 True to the vintage, to such an extent that it hasn’t a workmanlike effort, and I’d happily sip away. | 14 AJ | Pale to mid-gold; delicate mousse. Delicate, length to it. The acidity is vivid, prominent, but Brut Nature 2002 (12% ABV) made the most classical blanc de blancs, but it is TS | Rich and tasty, with very fresh fruit for a powdery scents of considerable refinement. On the beautifully rounded and fruit-laden. The flowers a lovely Chardonnay-based Champagne. Good 12-year-old Champagne. Technically the criticism palate, it’s a little less refined, with tangy incision persist on the palate, despite its overall wealth. ME | Lovely, even gold; aromas of great class, depth, sinew, and finishing vinosity. The fruit is must be its medium-sized bubbles, but these and a brisk, firm finish; the dosage is evident. | 13.5 It has everything except a symphonic, multi lightly honeyed fruit ceding to vinosity; exemplary outstandingly high quality. Very good, though should get finer with more post-disgorgement TS | A nice, fresh, elegant, fresh, light but intense dimensioned finish, and there’s a slight question balance of fruit and vinosity on the palate, drink sooner rather than later. | 16 aging. I’d love to retaste this disgorgement in 12 or blanc de blancs with a pristine finish, designed for mark over palate development in the glass. | 16.5 elegantly oxidative. À point. | 17 TS | A touch oxidative on the nose, but the fruit is 24 months. | 15.5 the table. | 16.5 TS | Extraordinarily fruity aroma for a Champagne; AJ | Full gold; rapidly dissipating mousse. Rather JL Vergnon Confidence Brut clean and reasonably fresh. | 15 nothing technically wrong; it has lots going for it coarsely lactic; butterscotch and banana. Not Nature Blanc de Blancs Grand 15.5 Larmandier-Bernier Vieille but is just a bit one-dimensional. | 14.5 my favorite Champagne aromas. The palate Cru 2008 (12% ABV) Vigne de Cramant Grand Cru is full, weighty, earthy, even slightly torpid; it’s Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs 15 Louis Roederer Blanc de a Champagne that seems to lack incision and 15 ME | Welsh gold with green lights; rich citrus- 2007 (12.5% ABV) Blancs Brut 2007 (12% ABV) vitality, alas. | 11.5 fruits nose but also orchard ones like peach; rich, TS | The creamy-caramel Chardonnay aroma ripe fruit, fine filigreed acidity; good balance, no ME | An attractive à point Champagne from a ripe AJ | Pale gold; delicate mousse. Quietly bready, gives an instant sense of age, and it’s feeling a bit shiver factor, or asperity. Still tightly wound, with end season. Green/gold; fresh citrus ceding to with suggestions of pollen and hay, but a little old on the palate, though it is not at all oxidative much to give. | 16 candied fruits, especially lemon, quite seductive— reserved just now, as if it had a green skin over and should be fine for those who like the more AJ | Pale gold; fine mousse. Sculpted, Gothic tangy, pithy fruit with a welcome touch of it that needs stripping away; needs more time mature style | 14.5 aromas: fresh, dry, plant sap. A little sweet vanilla phenolics, perhaps from the skins, to make up for to achieve articulacy. Almost slightly reduced, if behind, but not particularly beguiling. Searching, the slight lack of acidity. | 16.5 that were possible. Intense, vivid, and lively on the Nicolas Maillart Les Chaillots austere, pure, dry, very stony and refined; ripeness AJ | Pale to mid-gold; lively mousse. Dry stony palate, acid-structured, but richly acidic, with lots Gillis Premier Cru Extra Brut 14.5 teased to the threshold, but very little of the way notes, and something almost a little oniony, as if of vinosity and pungency beginning to articulate Blanc de Blancs 2004 over and in to the house. This works well as a 5% Sauvignon had crept into the blend. The palate itself around that acidity. A very good wine, which (12.5% ABV) bracing mouthful of the cool north, a Champagne is clean and sinewy, but the fruit quality lacks some again needs a little longer to resolve itself and of monastic austerity. Not a crowd-pleaser, Paul Goerg Premier Cru Blanc finesse; the flavors dissipate relatively swiftly, and show at its best. | 15.5 ME | Healthy yellow, gold lights; ripe golden 15.5 though. | 14.5 de Blancs 2005 Brut (12% ABV) the overall sense is of a wine whose raw materials TS | Lots of fruit and lots of character, but lacks fruit, quite straightforward, without nuance, but TS | Typically pale, very brut, high acids, and a weren’t quite the very finest. But I’d love a glass of finesse in the finish. | 14 with refreshing crispness and acidity on the end classic lime nose. Fresh and crisp with plenty of ME | Similar to [JL Vergnon Résonance Blanc de it at the right moment; it is still a sound, elegant, palate. Second bottle more vigorous, with better energy. Lovely, long, persistent, lemon, lime, and Blancs Grand Cru 2005]: nice, fresh, balance of Deutz Blanc de Blancs 1993 well-crafted blanc de blancs, and the fruits hold energy. | 16 15 apple fruit on the finish. | 16.5 minerals, green fruits, and a fresh balance. | 16 (12% ABV) well to the finish, where they counterpoint and AJ | Deep gold, with a steady mousse. A rather AJ | Pale green-gold, with a very fine, sustained perfume the mineral-salt notes. | 14.5 clunky, caramelly aromatic profile; no great purity Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs mousse that outlasts its flight peers. This is AJ | Full yellow-gold; evanescent mousse. Soft, TS | Very, very rich style and a touch fat with a hint of fruit. Dank, murky, earthy flavors. (This is 15.5 2006 (12.5% ABV) another 2005 that, like [Taittinger Comtes de languid, walnutty scents. Intense, long, vivid palate of VA. Has a lot going for it, but unfortunately it’s indeed the second bottle.) | 9.5 Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2005], has an aroma combining the walnutty fullness of the aromatic too much! | 14 TS | First bottle very attractive and oaky, but ME | Forward, appealing fruit, white Burgundy in whose green, vegetal, shaded canopy notes recall profile with relatively sharp-elbowed acidity; the corked! Second bottle not corked. Distinctly oaky, style, slight lack of tension and maybe acidity, but New Zealand rather than Champagne; again you two don’t quite come together with classic great- Jean Milan Terres de Noël beautifully crafted, extremely rich fruit. Absolutely attractive. | 15 might guess it has some Sauvignon in it. On the vintage felicity, but this is still a Champagne in Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru 15 clean. | 18 AJ | Pale gold; sustained mousse. Very creamy and palate, too, it is quite severely acidic, with some good fettle. | 14.5 Blanc de Blancs 2009 (12% ABV) beguiling scents: mousseline, vanilla, hazels. On more of that pea-pod greenness. The sweetness TS | Toffee-mellowed fruit. Typical for aging of this Mailly L’Intemporelle Grand Cru 14.5 the palate, by contrast, this almost tiptoes too far of a conventional dosage level just tastes wrong vintage now. | 15.5 ME | A lime-like, lemon hue, youthful; still in the JL Vergnon Résonance Blanc 2004 (12% ABV) into the rich and the caramelly spectrum; it’s lush, to me, with that green note and that aggressive citrus scale of aromas, an agreeable herbal scent; de Blancs Grand Cru 2005 15 Baroque, sweetly rounded, and just a little bit too acidity: very sweet-and-sour. | 12.5 Fleury Cépages Blancs Extra compact but pure and healthy mouthfeel, a touch (12% ABV) AJ | Pale gold; languid mousse. Full, creamy, 15 much, lacking finishing vitality and sap. A super TS | Exploding with autolysis! Length with finesse! Brut 2005 (12.5% ABV) pinched just now, very young but promising. 16 supple and soft as you first sniff, then some gentle crowd-pleaser, however. | 15 | 17.5 AJ | Pale gold; lazy mousse. Rather a neutral ME | This has a nice balance of minerality, pure lemon fruit to follow through. The palate is a TS | Seductive creamy-floral aromas, pristine, with ME | Deepish color from a hot late season; aromas aroma, even given its youth, as if it was made fruit, and an enduring freshness. Well made. | 16.5 little more focused and fresher than the aromas a pincushion mousse. | 17 Lenoble Collection Rare 1982 rather disjointed, a smack of raw acidity out of from Pinot Grigio rather than Chardonnay. Correct AJ | Pale to mid-gold; evanescent mousse. suggested: poised and lively, quite citric, with a 15.5 Brut (12% ABV) balance with surmature fruit; big and boisterous but unexciting palate. Gentle mineral salts on the Generalized orchard scents. Tangy, forceful palate relatively tart finish despite the dosage. A lively Champagne Doyard Clos de on the palate, grabs you unawares, but the wine is finish provide the main interest; the fruit remains with a vivid, structured finish. The prominent blanc de blancs with good concentration. | 14.5 L’Abbaye Premier Cru Blanc de 15.5 AJ | Full gold; languid mousse. Rather weighty and quite clumsy, without nuance, breed, or class. | 14 rather featureless and uneventful. | 12.5 acidity of 2005 required a very delicate hand with TS | Rich but rustic with a creamy finish. | 14 Blancs Brut 2008 (12% ABV) caramelized nose. Bright, vivid, chunky, and full in AJ | Very full gold; steady mousse. Vinous, TS | Extremely fresh and floral aromas, so the dosage if it was to be seamlessly incorporated, the mouth, with a crushed-stone finish; excellent structured, secondary fruit scents: real wine. energetic and vital, yet fine and elegant, with lime and in this wine, as in others, there is a contrast Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs 14.5 AJ | Pale gold; sustained mousse. Fine, powdery concentration. Still full of life, though I wish the Not hugely articulate, but I get a sense of fine blossom fruit on the finish. Excellent vintage and between the hard acid profile and the dosage 2004 (12% ABV) scents of considerable finesse and charm: lots of aromatic profile was just a little fresher. | 15.5 raw materials harvested à point. On the palate, an excellent wine. | 16.5 sweetness. But this is still a wine of substance and crushed stone; discreet pear and quince fruits; TS | Amazing freshness on the palate for a by contrast, the Champagne is a little loose and depth, and the fresh fruit is attractive. | 14.5 AJ | Full yellow-gold. Soft, sweet and graceful, a nascent creamy hazel character, too. On the 32-year-old Champagne, but we are left with only pastoral: sheaves of straw in a broad frame, and Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs TS | Deep and echoing throughout its length, but it though without a lot of fruit finesse. On the palate, 15 palate, the wine is slightly richer and more forceful the remnants of what was once a fine wine. | 15 the vinous fruit has almost upped and scarpered. 2007 (12% ABV) lacks finesse. | 14.5 this is a firm and structured, with a big block of in its expression than the nose suggested, but it’s A nice drink, in fact; and there is acidity to lend acidic fruit. Slightly muscular and forceful in style, very good, vinous, long, secondary and refined, Artéis & Co Extra Brut Blanc support; but those for whom Champagne should ME | Clear yellow, green lights; even, flowing Bérèche Côte Grand Cru 2002 but pure and long. The dosage is well judged, and 15 14.5 and a year or two will tone down that exuberance de Blancs 2002 (12% ABV) be taut and tight and tightly laced will need to look mouse; slightly earthy nose (near full maturity); (12.5% ABV) there is some ground stone in the finish; perhaps and bring it into perfect equilibrium. Excellent elsewhere. This is ripe, open, “mineral,” secondary. quite overt acidity, as if acidified; crisp and elegance and charm will come with time? | 14.5 blanc de blancs. | 16.5 ME | Even yellow, gold lights, hint of green; acidity There’s a very attractive wild-hawthorn floral note straight, a little one-dimensional. | 14.5 AJ | Mid-gold; sustained mousse. Lots of coffee, TS | Rather rustic with a slight bitterness on the TS | Very rich and fruity. Some VA lifting. | 14.5 and dryness on nose; quite a fine-drawn, linear, at the very end. I like it a lot. | 16 AJ | Pale gold with very steady mousse. Lots on toffee, and caramel on the nose here. The palate is finish. | 14

Pierre Péters Cuvée Spéciale Moderate concentration on the palate, with a hint of Riesling-like fruit on the palate. A bit of an Champagne for purists, and the finesse and poise Pierre Gimonnet Special Club Pascal Doquet Grand Cru Le 13.5 Les Chétillons Blanc de Blancs rather uneventful, oxygen-informed style. As a oddball, but not unappreciated. It does its own are missing. | 13.5 Chardonnay 2006 (12.5% ABV) Mesnil-sur-Oger Blanc de 13 14.5 Grand Cru Le Mesnil Brut 2002 brut nature, though, it is less austere than some, thing and is not oxidative. | 15 TS | Deeper color, lovely silky-soft mousse, but a Blancs Brut 2004 (12.5% ABV) (12% ABV) and the chunky fruits of the aromatic profile grow touch of VA on both nose and palate does more ME | Quite brisk and fresh, quiet and wound for chalkier and stonier on the palate, so I am enjoying Pierre Gimonnet Oenophile than elevate the fruit. Another one to drink now; the moment, but should age well. Finesse. | 16.5 AJ | Mid- to full gold; delicate mousse. 14 AJ | Mid-gold; sustained mousse. Fresh and this as a Champagne de terroir. It has an attractive Extra Brut 2005 (12.5% ABV) don’t keep. | 14.5 AJ | Pale gold, with a steady mousse. Rounded, Fresh, clean, and lively aromas, though as enticing, with a mixture of yellow summer fruits and “mineral” aftertaste, indeed. All that holds it back slightly murky nose, lacking freshness, grace, and yet unfocused; slightly brittle, peardroppy early season apples. Lively and well balanced on the from a very decent score is its lack of finesse. But ME | This is much better than [Fleury Cépages Pierre Péters Cuvée Spéciale lift. Clunky, obvious, heavy palate, with coarse fruit palate. | 11.5 palate, and again built around a core of delicate and I’d enjoy drinking it. | 14 Blancs Extra Brut 2005 or Dehours Lieu-Dit Les Chétillons Blanc de Blancs qualities. Not a success. | 10.5 TS | Has long-term potential but needs a few 14 well-drawn fruit. Mouth-filling and engaging blanc TS | Deeper color typical of the 2007 vintage. Brisefer Extra Brut 2005]. Fine lemon-gold, Grand Cru Le Mesnil Brut 2006 TS | Some rubbery notes. | 13 years softening and mellowing. | 14 de blancs, with a structured finish. | 15.5 Fresh, yeast-complexed fruit aromas, nicely fine mousse. Effervescence, fruit, and evolving (12% ABV) TS | Oxidative and overdeveloped for a 12-year-old balanced, crisp, lemon-and-lime fruit on palate, vinosity promised on the nose; the mouthfeel has Jacquesson Dizy Corne Bautray Champagne Doyard Blanc de 13.5 Champagne. | 13.5 very clean and fresh mid-palate, but a touch a silken texture, a suavity that is very attractive, AJ | Pale to mid-gold; sustained mousse. Full, rich Extra Brut 2004 (12% ABV) Blancs Brut Grand Cru 2007 13 oxidative on nose and the aftertaste. Not enough yet there is energy, drive, and elegance, too. Good aromas, if vague in outline; hop and sweetcorn. (12.5% ABV) Philipponnat Grand Blanc 1988 oxidative character to put off even me, but it will persistence of flavor. Exceptional. One of those Vivid, fresh, and lively, though the fruit is ME | A riper hue, some weight but some question 14.5 (12% ABV) increase, so drink, don’t keep. | 15 rare, fine 2005s. | 17.5 straightforwardly firm, without a lot of subtlety here of lack of balance and of real class. | 14.5 AJ | Pale gold; delicate mousse. Light and fresh AJ | Clear pale gold; idling mousse. The nose to it. | 13.5 AJ | Full gold; gentle mousse. This has the jonquil but rather understated at this stage. On the AJ | Very full gold; evanescent mousse. Lots of JL Vergnon Résonance Blanc suggest mushrooms and cardboard. The palate TS | Very fruity, going for the more satisfying style, note often apparent in cool-climate southern- palate, rather harsh and hard, with faintly green autumn fruits here; an autumn symphony, and de Blancs Grand Cru 2006 14.5 works well enough in technical terms—mousse, but would prefer a tad more crisp and refreshing, hemisphere Chardonnays; apple jam behind. Not edges. | 12 half way to Tokaji... plus a few bubbles. On the (12% ABV) acid balance, and length; but the flavors have a within the vintage remit, of course. | 14 the dream blanc de blancs aromatic profile. Simple TS | Lots of great character but spoiled by a certain palate, the wine is very round-shouldered and kind of heaviness and frumpiness to them that palate lacking concentration and class. | 10.5 rustic quality of fruit and angular acidity. | 14 evolved, but at the same time relatively richly ME | More tension and core than [Deutz Blanc fails to charm, so the unenticing aromas go Pascal Doquet Grand Cru Le TS | Complete and satisfying. | 15 acidic. That acidity has evolved beautifully, hence de Blancs 2007], with a character of exotic ripe unredeemed, alas. | 11.5 Mesnil-sur-Oger Vieilles Lenoble Collection Rare 1988 13.5 12.5 its overall tarte tatin character. A lovely thing to fruits. | 15.5 TS | Very foamy on pouring; has freshness and Vignes Blanc de Blancs Brut Lenoble Cuvée Gentilhomme Brut (12% ABV) 13.5 drink, though utterly different (I presume) to its AJ | Full yellow; languid mousse. Slightly tanky finesse on the nose but catches at the back of the 2002 (12.5% ABV) 2002 (12% ABV) youthful self. Not for further keeping, unless you scents; round orchard fruit, but not great finesse. throat. I am scoring as is now but would like to AJ | Full gold; languid mousse. The aromas are have necrophiliac tendencies... | 17 Rich, full, tangy, plump; a relatively simple give the wine another chance if I could taste the AJ | Mid-gold; delicate mousse. Soft, honeyed, AJ | Pale, with a sustained mousse. Creamy, risqué and flirting with drainsiness. On the palate, TS | Overoxidized for its age. | 12 Champagne, but generous in contour, with plenty same disgorgement in 12 months’ time. | 13.5 with a note of autumn leaf already; fresh, lively lemony, a touch of lemongrass; relatively subtle it’s melted down into a bit of a puddle; nutty and of classic finishing yeasty complexities. | 14 wine on the palate, with plenty of poise. The fruit and understated. Plenty of dosage on the palate, earthy, to look on the bright side, but I can’t say the Charles & Alphrede Prieur Grand TS | SO on the nose, basic fruit on the palate, is frank, straightforward, honest, unrefined. | 13 over relatively slight fruit; pleasant but lacks drive aging trajectory has been wholly successful. | 12 14.5 2 Prieur 2002 Brut (12% ABV) with a bitterness on the finish. When was this TS | With a nice mellow aroma, this has flavor and and profundity. | 13.5 TS | Past its best; some plastic hints. | 13 disgorged? Needs more time before retasting. character, but where is the finesse? | 14 TS | Very rich, but lacks vitality and finesse. | 13.5 AJ | Mid-gold; sustained mousse. Soft floral notes; Scored as tasted. | 13.5 The following wines, which unfortunately arrived gentle autolysis; subtle cream. A disarmingly after the main tasting, were tasted (open) by lovely nose of great nuance and subtlety. The Bonnaire Grand Cru Blanc Michael Edwards and Tom Stevenson only. 14 ANDREW JEFFORD’S TOP WINES perfect mélange of fruit, quiet vegetal notes, and de Blancs 2005 (12% ABV) the richness of yeast, cream and coffee. Vivid, Drawing any valid conclusions from this are more giving from the off, with creamy Alain Thiénot Blanc de fresh wine in the mouth, but without quite the ME | Brisk acidity and easy simple fruit. Nothing blunderbuss tasting (of multiple vintages, subtleties an intrinsic part of their appeal. Blancs Cuvée Stanislas 2005 16 organizational harmonies the aromas suggested; disagreeable but not distinguished. | 14.5 with some producers showing different vintages The dean of this particular school, Charles (12.5% ABV) it’s very light and dancing on its feet, very graceful, AJ | Full gold, with a gentle mousse. Torpid, Lenoble Cuvée Gentilhomme 14 and others just one; of multiple producers, both Heidsieck’s Blanc des Millénaires never fails but petite. Nonetheless delicious! | 16.5 caramelly nose, I’m afraid; too much dosage on the 2006 (12% ABV) large and small in scale; and even of multiple to appeal, and the 1995 demonstrated the ME | Star-bright, imposing hue, rich gold with TS | Extremely lactic! | 12.5 front foot. The palate is rather flatly acidic, without formats) is difficult, but let’s try. perfectly judged generosity of this wine. a hint of green, at once speaking ripeness and much lift and life; the ample dosage is then poorly ME | A gloden sheen, a real “robe”; fine, filigreed First, blanc de blancs Champagne is, at its I was delighted that none of the wines I freshness. Stylish aromas of hazelnuts and the Tarlant Vigne d’Antan 2002 integrated. This seems like a blanc de blancs just cordon of bubbles, suave interplay of candied best, singularly beautiful. In a way, it is the scored at 17 or higher was among Champagne’s beginnings of honey lead on to an energetic palate Chardonnay Non-greffée 14.5 for the sake of having a blanc de blancs to put in the lemon, a growing vinosity. Exciting. | 17 apogee of Champagne itself: the most elegant, most grossly expensive bottles and that my (high praise in this hot challenging harvest) and (12% ABV) range, rather than a blend of beautiful Chardonnay AJ | Full gold; languid mousse. Very honeyed and nuanced, and fine-grained division of the most list of top wines included grower Champagnes, a fine marriage of racy, elegant acidity and some that insists on being bottled on its own. | 11 baroque in aroma; almost a hint of banana. Plump, elegant, nuanced, and fine-grained wine style as well as those from less well-known houses density of fruit, auguring well for a good life yet— AJ | Pale to mid-gold; languid mousse. A faintly TS | A tad of brewer’s malt on the nose, but the full, but rather coarse in flavor: a cartoon sketch in the world. and a village cooperative, and came from land to 2017 or even 2020. | 17 grassy freshness here, over green fruits. Fresh rest of this wine is tightly bound and needs to for a great blanc de blancs, though it has a simple, That doesn’t, however, mean that it is a style classified at 84 percent, as well as from grand TS | A bit too rich, without the requisite balance and biscuity; a well-preserved 2002, though at develop. Keep 12–24 months. | 16 primal appeal. | 11.5 with little aesthetic width. Chiseled austerity cru sites. The famous names don’t have a to lighten the load, and this leads the palate astray its peak just now. In style, this is very poised and TS | Too much VA trying to lift the heavy fruit. | 13 can have huge and mouthwatering appeal, monopoly on quality, and a great grower can on the finish. Might improve, but it’s difficult to say provided that there is enough sewn up inside redefine the potential of his or her land. That a graceful, flowery and light, with near perfect blanc Dehours Lieu-Dit Brisefer at this juncture. | 15.5 14 the wine to sustain its evolution—the brilliantly tasting whose entry ticket comes at such a high de blancs proportions. All it lacks (if indeed a Extra Brut 2005 (ABV N/A) Jean Milan Transparence Blanc composed 2007 Ayala Blanc de Blancs and price as this one should include a number of lack it is) is a sense of ambition and grandeur. But de Blancs Oger Grand Cru Brut 14 Alain Thiénot La Vigne aux the shyly faultless 2008 Chartogne-Taillet disappointing bottles, though, is regrettable— 17.5 perhaps prettiness is as important an ideal with ME | Maybe low dosage, but this has confectioner’s (12% ABV) (12 % ABV) Nature 2007 Heurtebise were both perfect examples of this. but the discipline of a single grape variety and a Gamins 2004 this style. | 16 flavors that you either love or hate. Honeyed but Other styles of blanc de blancs, by contrast, single season is a stern one. TS | Dried-leaf, straw-like, lacks freshness. | 13 again rather clumsy and ill balanced. | 14 ME | Clear yellow with green lights; maybe a brut ME | A subtler green gold than the Stanislas. AJ | Full gold; languid mousse. Sweet banana and nature with no dosage but smells and tastes as if A favored single plot from old vines in (grand JL Vergnon Confidence Brut new car fascia scents. Rather a slapdash flavor: it has some residual sugar; slight lack of core on cru) Avize. The main impression is a real sense ANDREW JEFFORD'S TOP WINES Nature Blanc de Blancs Grand 14.5 those fattier notes with some neutral acidity to the mid-palate, a simple ripeness, with a touch of of place, the vineyard on the upper fin slopes, Cru 2007 (12% ABV) brace them up a bit, but little nobility of flavor honey. Not a style I warm to. | 13.5 close to the sunny Oger road. Sizillé—that is, Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2007 18.5 Duval-Leroy Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2006 17.5 and no purity or finesse. It’s still Champagne, of AJ | Full gold; fine mousse. Slightly coarse and precise—with a lovely, light-footed athleticism, ME | More yellow-hued, but fresh and inviting; course, and the virtue of extra-brut (or brut nature) farmy; apples and barn straw. Not offensive, Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995 18.5 Le Mesnil Prestige Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2002 no overextraction, no wood, nothing “big,” great 17.5 quite subdued, quiet nose; better if soft palate, is that you can almost always taste the mineral though; loosely autumnal. A structured, full Philipponnat Grand Blanc 2006 18.5 purity. Sans makeup. Very fine. | 18+ lowish acidity, I’d guess, pleasant and gentle salty or chalky notes at the very end of the palate palate of moderate concentration and very plump Guy Charlemagne Mesnillésime Grand Cru 2004 Alfred Gratien Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2007 17 TS | Pale-lemon color belies its toasty-gunpowder mouthfeel, lacking a little energy. Agreeable but and don’t have to fight off a fog of dosage; so here. style for a brut nature; lots of ripeness here. 18 Philipponnat Grand Blanc 1988 17 nose and rich, grippy-creamy fruit, but returns as nothing remarkable. | 14.5 But the raw materials and the winery handling Satisfactory, even affable—and how often can expected with a fresh, crisp finish, underscored by Chartogne-Taillet Heurtebises 2008 18 AJ | Full gold; fine mousse. Relatively chunky, weren’t impeccable. | 12.5 you say that about brut nature? The finish seems an energetic, silky mousse. This has the potential straightforward fruits here: green plum and pear. TS | A distinctive, almost terpenic aroma with a mineral-salty and tonic. It’s not, however, a to develop. | 17 ▉

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