Growers Champagne Blanc de Blancs Lunch

I missed the first installment of the growers champagne lunches, where the focus was on some interesting Blanc de Noirs. This time round, we gathered at the (very) hip and (very) new "LE" restaurant opened by the Paradise Group for the second lunch, focusing on Blanc de(s) Blancs instead. We were literrally stuffed with dim sum and otehr stuff - food was pretty good actually, if a bit too fast and too furious - but, as always, the wines were the centre of attraction. This lunch reminded me of the reason why I liked growers champagnes - they were unique, characterful and all of pretty good quality. While, as always, some stood out as better than others, and everyone had their preferences, the close grouping of the my personal scoring is a testament to the fact that there were no poor wines on the day.

• NV Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Les Vignes de Montgueux Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  I was quite taken by this. It was the sleeper wine of the day - the cheapest bottle amongst the 6 we had, yet it was near the top of each person's "favourites" list. The nose was rather tight, and remained so throughout lunch, with subtle scents of lemon pips and oyster shell, some yeast, and the slightest touch of hazelnut. Pleasant, but a bit nondescript. It was on the palate where this shone though. On first pour, this was dominated by tons of super citrus acid - green lemons and grapefruit et al - very racy, but there was also a solid base below that, with some lovely white fruited substance lined by a super-clean, precise spine. Some little savoury notes started emerging as the wine warmed up. A bit on the straightforward side maybe, but there was no lack of character here. In fact, I found it a rather complete Champagne, with a lovely sense of laser-like focus all the way into a good lingering finish of lemon zest, with another line of flinty mineral. The domaine recommends this as an aperitif wine, but on this bottle at least probably needed a few more years to show really well and it worked best with food. I liked it though, a easy to swallow, food-friendly Champagne with some serious quality to it. Seriously good value too.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• NV Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Pierrières 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  A decently good wine, but still a bit awkward at certain spots. It had a nice, complex nose - one of the better bouquets on the day, with a light shade of oaky vanillin surrounded by sweeter fruit aromas of red apples and kumquats, and then touches of spice at the side. There was just the slightest hint of an oxidative style in there, but alll this added to the complexity of the nose rather than to distract. Very promising I thought. Unfortunately, the palate was not quite as strong. On first pour, the sweet oak was perhaps even more obvious than on the nose, but when one got past that, the showed a very powerful, ripe mouthful of fleshy red apples on the attack chased by bright, high-toned, very sprightly acidity, fine mousse and sweet lemon flavours on the midpalate. I found this a bit less effortlessly balanced than the best Champagnes on the day, coming a touch over-bright at points, with the acidity stricking out through the sweet fruit-laden notes on the finish. All in all though, while not my favourite, this was a pretty nice, characterful Champagne. It should come together better with a couple of years in the bottle, but I do suspect the lightly oxidative notes will be more obvious as well - after that, it becomes very much a question of personal taste and style.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Lilbert-Fils Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Millésimé Cramant 91 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  I found this a very complex, interesting Champagne, but it was still in the throes of a rather awkward youth, so much so that quite a few on the table picked it out as the weakest Champagne in our line-up. I did quite like it though. The nose, for one thing, was very attractive with its flinty mineral notes, limestone, lime and green apple aromas, and some high-toned white flower scents. Rather interesting. When served very chilled, the palate showed a nice seashelly mineral twang, with frothy mousse and fresh acidity enveloping a core of green apple. Warmed up to a slightly more suitable temperature, the fruit plumped up a bit, and the wine showed good round depth and intensity, with stonier mineral tones and slightly floral notes floating out alongside. There was actually a lot going on here, with a nice playful complexity to the wine. However, it came across just a bit disjointed to me, especially towards the finish, which seemed a little jarringly dry and hard after the fullness of the nose and midpalate. I thought that an earlier comment about this seeming more like a hard Avize than a soft Cramant style was spot on. Overall, there is quite a bit here to draw the interest, but it was perhaps just not that enjoyable to drink at the moment. Give it 3-4 years though, and it should start coming together better.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru L'Artiste Blanc de Blancs Pas Dosé Trépail 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Very drinkable for something so young, this showed very well on the day, and was probably the favourite wine around the table. It had a very alluring nose, nicely perfumed, with shades of water chestnut and red apples, hints of dried flowers and exotic spice, almost anise-like at points. Very nice. Yummy on the palate too - nicely rounded, pitch perfect balance, with pleasant flavours white fruit, apple flesh and kumquat notes - very mouthfilling - then a gentle perfume of dried flowers, spice and orange peel, all underscored with gentle mineral at the finish. Well-focused, with lovely nervosity and some nascent complexity. A lovely, subtle mousse and some citrussy brightness then tied the whole thing together. This may not be the most interesting wine - a bit lacking in layered depth I think - and it needs a little time to tie together entirely, especially where it is still a bit loose at the joints and has a few awkward edges. Generally though, a very friendly, drinkable young Champagne. I really enjoyed this.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 L. Aubry Fils Champagne Le Nombre d'Or Sablé Blanc des Blancs Brut Campanae Veteres Vites 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  This was not everyone's favourite - I seemed to be the only one of the table to really enjoy this, but I actually thought it was pretty good. An unusual blend of 30% Arbanne and 30% Petit Meslier with Chardonnay (hence the use of "des' rather than "de" in Blanc des Blancs, signifying more than one varietal), it certainly stood out from the crowd with a very masculine nose, with strange red fruited hints for a BdB, almost berry-like aromas, then ripe red apples and warm spice, some white meat and a touch of yeastiness - a very ripe, warm nose. The palate carried on in the same tone as well - with round and ripe flavours of kumquats and ripe red apples couched in juicy acidity and a firm mousse, almost structured in its feel. This was a very full, powerful, and quite straightforward expression of Champagne - think a Brunhilde in Siegfried type of character - yummy though. While not the most subtle or complex (nor the most elegant), everything is in the right place with this wine, and it remains nicely focused and balanced in spite of the heat of the vintage. There is some room for improvement with age, but I do think that this is better kept as an earlier drinking bottle.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2003 Guy Charlemagne Champagne Grand Cru Mesnillésime Vieilles Vignes Blanc de Blancs 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  This was another crowd favourite - a very ready to drink Champagne. It had rich nose, a bit toasty and yeasty, with red apples lined with some citrus notes and a touch of flint. The palate was round and rich, clearly from a warmer vintage, with some fine frothy mousse swirling around sweet red apple and ripe lemon flavors with a vert slightly oxidative edge. Not the most complex maybe, not the most sublte, but this was very generous, very open and round. A friendly, forward Champagne to drink now, yet with decent depth and a sufficient amount of interest to hold the palate. I especially liked the finish - long, powerful, with fleshy white fruit pricks by little bits of spice and flinty mineral.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Shingle Peak Pinot Noir 88 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Simple, easy-going Marlborough Pinot Noir - very typical for a bottle at this price from the region. Nose was clearly new world Pinot - sweet berries, a bit candied, some menthol and stalky floral notes. Quite attractive in a very sweet, fruity way. Palate was simple but balanced, with sweet cherry and red berry notes backed by a savoury, almost salty background of earth and a bit of herb. Decent quaffing at its price, especially with some herbed duck, but nothing out of the ordinary spectrum of well-made commercial stuff.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue