They are unconventional. They go beyond the limit. You can call them Champagnes de spécialité or Champagne wines with a style. Very often are they the darling cuvées of the producers who offer them the best of their work. In the deep and dark cellars, these wine slowly mature to bring you something different in the glass.
Blanc de Blancs
Literally, it means white wine from white grapes. There is one grape variety in Champagne, a major one, and it is Chardonnay. Blanc de Blancs is 100 % Chardonnay. You can find Blanc de Blancs everywhere in the region, as the variety is widely planted, but the Côte des Blancs is the best source, as Chardonnay can benefit from the best sites. Le Mesnil, Cuis, Avizeare famous villages for Chardonnay and big names for Champagne fans. What can you expect from Blanc de Blancs? Incredible finesse and excellent longevity. This is all Chardonnay, after all.
Blanc de noirs
If you read the previous paragraph, you already deduced that it is white wine from black grapes. You are right. This style is based on Pinot noir and/or Meunier. Each of the two grape varieties has its own strengths. If Meunier plays the leading role, this wine is excellent in its youth, with remarkable balance and scented fruit. Wines based on Pinot Noire offer more structure and longevity. Keep an eye on the back label to learn the blend, if there is any, and choose you own.
Rosé
In most cases, rosé champagne is a blend of red and white wine. During the winemaking of red wines, color is extracted as quickly as possible from skins, but not tannins, to avoid undesirable harshness in the final wine. Blended rosé is always aromatic and fruity. Some producers make macerated rosé wines: black grapes macerate before fermentation. A deeper color it the result, as well as stronger fruit with cherry, red berry and raspberry overtones. If you get some rosé like this, you can expect something in your glass and, of course, you can enjoy it with a meal, as it is perfect for pairing. Try smoked salmon or lobster and let the charm work.
Millésimé
If the label carries a year, this is a millésimé, or vintage Champagne. The year is, as for still wines, the year of harvest. This is the only vintage involved in the blends, while most Champagnes are blends of several years of production. Still, several plots and/or several grape varieties can be used at the convenience of the producer. The required maturation is significantly longer than for the non-vintage wines, and 36 months is the minimum. You can compare with the 15 months of non-vintage wines. Millésimé wines offer great depth, length without limit and creamy texture.
Single plot
Some labels mention an obscure name you have never heard of? It must be a mono-parcellaire, in fact a wine based on grape coming from a single plot. Just like premier crus and grand crus in Burgundy, each village of Champagne covers a list of plots, each of them holding its own characteristics. Soil and microclimate significantly vary, and the choice of grape is adapted to the local conditions. If a producer thinks that a particular plot can justify a particular cuvée, you can be sure that the wine has the highest standards. The single-plot wines are often brut or extra brut and, very often again, the time on fine lees is longer than usual. At the end of the day, these wines have something of their own. Take you time, try them, enjoy them.
Brut wines
It sounds a bit odd, but brut is not only about the amount of sugar in the liqueur d’expédition. Each single producer knows that the brut style is the most sold type of wine in Champagne. A bottle of brut is your signature, your identity. Make it great! How can you do it? Higher proportion of vins de reserve, blending of a long list of vintages… There are so many possible answers. You, as a wine lover, can discover gems just labelled as brut.
How to make the best of these fabulous wines?
To achieve the best temperature, place your bottle for 20 to 30 minutes in an ice bucket with 50 % ice cubes and 50 % water. Choose quite large glasses or flutes to helps aromas to develop.
Cheers to great wines!