A cursory search through my blog reveals that Blanc de Blancs is one of the wine styles I write about very frequently – mainly because I really like it as a style, and if there’s a bottle shown at a trade tasting I will make a beeline for it.

So when Mike over at Please Bring Me My Wine asked for suggestions beginning with B for New Wine This Week #53, I naturally piped up with Blanc de Blancs – and would you believe it, other voters on the poll (narrowly) agreed with me.

So a few important questions to be answered – what exactly is it? why do I like it? and what should a neophyte try?

What The Heck Is a Blanc de Blancs?

In my mind a true Blanc de Blancs is a white wine made with white grapes where there is a possibility that black grapes could also have been used.  The vast majority are traditional method sparklers such as Champagne:

But before we dive into sparkling, there is a much less well known version; if you’re a real Alsace geek like me then you might think of different Pinots being used in white wine, and as long as the juice is taken off the skins quickly, even black grapes can be part of the blend. If it’s just from white Pinot grapes – i.e. Pinot Blanc – then it can be labelled as a Blanc de Blancs:

So after that small detour, let’s get back onto the main road.

Champagne was the region that popularised the term, and there it usually means a white fizz made from just Chardonnay without any juice from the black grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  There are some very small plantings of other grapes in Champagne that could go into a Blanc de Blancs, but they are rare indeed.

In other parts of France where traditional method Crémant is made, popular local grapes can be used to make a Blanc de Blancs, especially if they are high in acidity – Chenin Blanc in the Loire, Sauvignon in Bordeaux, Pinot Blanc in Alsace.

A fact often overlooked is that Chardonnay is sometimes permitted in the AOP rules for a fizz when it’s not allowed in the local still wine – sometimes even a 100% varietal Chardonnay such as this Crémant d’Alsace:

Other traditional method sparkling wine is often made with the main three Champagne grapes, whether Tasmania, Marlborough, California or southern England.

Why Do I Like It?

When it’s young, it’s fresh, floral and citrusy, and can be on the simple side.  But there’s nothing wrong with that – the perfect aperitif.

The best examples, particularly from the Côte des Blancs’ Grand Cru villages, have a haunting purity about them.

With extended lees ageing it takes on biscuit and brioche characters; while this is obviously true for other sparklers, Blanc de Blancs seem to be more coherent and integrated.

And of course many of the long-lived prestige cuvées are Blanc de Blancs – think of Charles Heidsieck’s Cuvée des Millénaires, Salon Le Mesnil, Krug Clos du Mesnil, and so on.

Do Try This At Home

If you see any of the wines above in the shop, then snap them up!

I also heartily endorse the Sainsbury’s Non Vintage Champagne Blanc de Blancs that Mike recommended on his site.  If you’re lucky you might see it on promotion when it can be ridiculously good value for money.

Some other Blankety Blanks that I’ve really enjoyed:

Clover Hill Sparkling 2003 (O’Briens, €31.99)

Leon Launois Grand Cru Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2006 (Aldi, €26.99, also covered here)

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV (£44.98, Majestic)

Wiston Estate, Blanc de Blancs NV (Le Caveau, €47.70, also covered here)

Gusbourne Estate Blanc de Blancs 2009 (James Nicholson Wine, £31.95 / €46.99, also covered here)

Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2007 (Berry Bros, £35.95, also covered here)

Now get supping!

Also check out Confessions of a Wine Geek’s post here