2008 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs

The 2008 Champagne Blanc de Blancs Collection is stunning upon opening, pouring a bright, pale yellow color and offering notes of macarons, almond, meringue, and lemon candies. Medium-bodied, it's refreshing and full of nerve and drive, with pure notes of lime cordial and preserved green apples. Long and mouthwatering, it lingers for ages on the palate, with a refined and rounded mouthfeel, but its mineral intensity persists through its lengthy finish, which offers loads of citrus. To create this cuvée, the estate blended the very best of the six grand crus of Avize, Oger, Mesnil, Oiry, Cramant, and Chouilly, and as a result, a more complete picture of the region emerges, with more power and complexity. This wine can provide tons of pleasure now, but it can also age for decades. Disgorged this year, only around 300 bottles were exported to the US. A fantastic vintage of this wine all around, drink it over the next few decades. The sister house to Salon, Delamotte owns 10 hectares of vineyards in Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant, and Avize. They purchase grapes from 80 hectares, mostly Chardonnay from Oiry and Chouilly, as well as some Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims in Bouzy, Ambonnay, and Tours-sur-Marne. A small amount of Meunier is purchased from around Epernay. When Salon does not produce a vintage wine, those parcels are used in the production of Delamotte bottlings. Like Salon, the wines are fermented and matured entirely in stainless steel; however, malolactic fermentation is achieved on a case-by-case basis.