Moore Brothers Wine Company

My Store: New Jersey (change store) 888-686-6673

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Diebolt-Vallois

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Diebolt-Vallois

The wine is 100% Chardonnay from Cramant, Chouilly, and Cuis, all hand-harvested, with primary and malolactic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel, and a dosage of about 4.5g/l. Once again, use a real wine glass, not a tall skinny flute. The color is a lovely pale green-gold, with a creamy, streaming bead of tiny precise bubbles.

At first, the elegant Chardonnay nose suggests dried honeycomb, ripe Asian pears and freshly baked brioche, with lime blossoms, peaches, and a fleeting suggestion of grated coconut moving in and out of the foreground as the wine evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine is sleek, firm, and energetic, with a fine mineral structure, and a feathery, delicate mousse. The flavors echo the nose, adding more white flowers, caraway seeds, and fresh fennel, all seasoned with classic chalky Côte des Blancs minerality. The long clean finish is lifted by lively citric acidity and the wine’s velvety, persistent mousse.

About this wine producer: When I was first invited to pour this creamy Champagne Blanc de Blanc at George Perrier’s Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia, I was admitted into a very privileged club: sommeliers at restaurants like Marc Meneau’s L’Espérance in Père-sous-Vézelay, and Gerard Vié’s Les Trois Marches in Versailles. At the time, there were only six hectares of vines, all on the southeast-facing slope below Cramant, which meant there was very little wine available. Even private customers, who drove to Cramant from Paris or Brussels after tasting the wine in a Michelin-starred restaurant, were often disappointed to find nothing for sale at Diebolt-Vallois. More became available when Diebolt acquired vineyards in Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (“putting the family in debt for 100 years,” he chuckles). But more supply only attracted more sommeliers, including Eric Beaumard, the 1992 Meilleur Sommelier de France, and the 1994 Meilleur Sommelier d’Europe. Every year, he buys more than 200 cases for the cellar at Georges V in Paris. But Jacques Diebolt always seems to have wine for us, and even came himself to help us kick off Moore Brothers with a visit to Pennsauken more than twenty years ago.

$48.00

QTY

Reviews

Steve (December 19, 2018)

Paula (March 3, 2019)

James (November 26, 2020)

Meghan (January 8, 2021)

Very nice Champagne. Purchased 120720, opened on New Year's Eve, 123120. $44, on sale for $35. I am not wild about Champagne in general, but this was pretty good, and Amy liked it too! Note, this appears to be a "non-vintage" champagne. MB description does not state a year, nor does the bottle. Small note on the back of the bottle states "Degorgement: December 2019 - 4 g/l". Not sure what this means.

Mark (January 19, 2021)

Kathryn (June 23, 2021)

Dan (September 25, 2021)

Johnny (January 28, 2022)