The colour is pale gold, with fine, medium-lasting bubbles. On the nose mandarins (a lot), mirabelle and candied fruit. In the mouth flavors in harmony with the nose. Full bodied. The aftertaste last for quite a while.
Blanc de Noirs is white Champagne made exclusively from red grapes: Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier. Blanc de Noirs Champagnes are, on the whole, richer and fuller bodied than wines with a major component of Chardonnay. Nevertheless, two examples can be as different from each other as from a Blanc de Blancs. One reason for this may be the proportions of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Among the most notable Blanc de Noirs wines there is Krug’s Clos d’Ambonnay, one of the most expensive Champagnes produced. It is made from Pinot Noir vines grown in a walled 0.68 ha vineyard in the village of Ambonnay (hence the name), which I visited during my walk from Pontarlier to Reims.
This exemplar is made by Maison Malard using exclusively 100% Pinot Noir. It is a Grand Cru.
Maison Malard is an independent family champagne house, which was founded in 1996.
In 2021, 322 million bottles of Champagne were sold, of which some 20% under LVMH champagne brands. 142 million bottles were sold in France and 180 million bottles exported.
The classification of Champagne vineyards developed in the mid-20th century as a means of setting the price of grapes grown through the villages of the Champagne wine region. Unlike the classification of Bordeaux wine estates or Burgundy Grand cru vineyards, the classification of Champagne is broken down based on which village the vineyards are located in.
Only 59 among the Champagne region’s 319 villages are entitled to Grand Cru (17) or Premier Cru (42) designations. Of all the vineyards that delivers grapes to produce Champagne, less than 10% have a Grand Cru rating.
For this bottle I paid 32 EUR at Nicola’s in Châlons-en-Champagne.
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Type: Sparkling
Vintage: N/A
Producer: Maison Malard
Price range: Premium (30-50 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5