Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Blancs is a gorgeous type of Champagne made with Chardonnay grapes. This one was a beauty.

Blanc de Blancs means “white from whites.”
It’s Champagne made entirely from white grapes; in Champagne that means Chardonnay.

There are a lot of winemaking rules in France. (The French love rules.) One of the rules in the Champagne region is that you can only make Champagne from these 8 grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot de Juillet, Pinot Gris Vrai, or Pinot Blanc Vrai. Most Champagne makers use Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Pinot Meunier; if a Champagne label doesn’t say what type of grapes are in the bottle, it’s likely a combo of those three.

Chardonnay brings freshness and elegance to Champagne.
Pinot Noir gives Champagne structure and great aromas.
Pinot Meunier gives Champagne really nice fruit, but Champagnes made with just Pinot Meunier usually don’t age well.

Blanc de Blancs is my favorite Champagne.
When it’s made well, it’s incredibly elegant and fabulous with food. This Champagne Doyard Vendémiaire Blanc de Blancs Brut Premier Cru has creamy aromas and baked bread on the nose, with a beautiful golden straw color in the glass. It has delicate small bubbles that still have some force. (I’m not a fan of Champagnes where the bubbles are too wimpy. It always feels like the wine is going flat.) This Champagne has subtle lemon and chalk flavors and dried off my tongue really quickly (kind of how a dry martini feels in your mouth). It was stunning with raw oysters.

Wine experts often talk about the tension in wine, which usually refers to a wine’s acidity. When a wine feels alive and bright and vibrant, they’ll say it has nice tension. This Champagne has that great energy. It dances in your mouth, and I am always down for a dance party. You can find it on wine.com for $66.99. (That’s about the same price as some other very famous and popular bubbles that aren’t nearly as elegant.)

Chin to Erin Corrigan for the awesome gift!