Generally speaking, Champagne is crafted using three complementary grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. That’s certainly the case when it comes to your commercially widespread non-vintage (“N.V.”) bottlings — from the likes of Moët & Chandon, G.H. Mumm and what-have-you.
As you drink, enjoy and ultimately become more comfortable discussing Champagne; your palate will hone in on the house style that’s most pleasing; and each grape variety plays a significant role in that process.
Generalising again (for the sake of brevity) Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are black grapes that yield the cornerstones of flavour and structure; whereas it is Chardonnay — a white grape, conversely —that adds the distinctive, autolytic elegance demanded by the world’s greatest sparkling wine.
If you’re a lover of bright, delicate cuvées such as Louis Roederer NV, then it’s a pretty logical step in your bubbly journey to embrace Blanc de Blancs: a popular single-variety style of Champagne that, more often than not, is crafted exclusively from Chardonnay.
For Champagne lovers, a good Blanc de Blancs has all of the balance and structure of a traditional three-part Brut; but quite apart from this, a unique mouthfeel and mineral edge that make the style devilishly easy to drink at any time, in any setting.
Here’s a list of crackers to try in 2024: from below-radar bangers to tried & true crowd pleasers.
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Our Favourite Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Table of Contents
- Our Favourite Blanc de Blancs Champagne
- Agrapart ‘Terroirs’ Blanc De Blancs Grand Cru NV
- Larmandier Bernier Longitude Extra Brut Blanc De Blancs NV
- Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Nature Champagne NV
- Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV
- Frerejean Frères Blanc de blancs NV Premier Cru
- Veuve Fourny & Fils Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Vertus Brut
- Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs 2013
- Ayala Le Blanc de Blancs 2015
- Piper Heidsieck ‘Essentiel’ Blanc de Blancs NV
- Palmer & Co. Blanc de Blancs NV
- Pierre Gimonnet Grand Terroirs de Chardonnay ‘Special Club’ 2015
- Pommery ‘Apenage’ Blanc de Blancs
- Jacques Lassaigne ‘Les Vignes de Montgueux’ Extra Brut NV
- Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV
- And While Not Officially A Champagne…
Agrapart ‘Terroirs’ Blanc De Blancs Grand Cru NV
- Country: France
- Region: Côte des Blancs
- Dosage:Â 5g/L
- Classification:Â Grand Cru
Less than 6,000 cases of this super-expressive Champagne are produced each year, featuring the tireless work of one of the best growers in the region, Pascal Agrapart.
Only great sites are chosen for this Grand Cru, which is typically formed from fruit across four local villages in the Côte des Blancs (not far from the iconic village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger).
The result? A prestige wine of exceptional character: perfectly textured with a medium to full-bodied palate dancing with citrus; sharply delineated floral notes; and a very forward accent of mint.
Larmandier Bernier Longitude Extra Brut Blanc De Blancs NV
- Country: France
- Region: Côte des Blancs
- Dosage: 3g/L
- Classification:Â 1er Cru
Legendary growers Pierre & Sophie Larmandier have given this non-vintage the name ‘longitude’ because the process of making it is as much about topography as taste; benefiting from thin topsoils and deeply-rooted vines that have graced the Bernier Longitude with an energetic character of purity and minerality.
This is a wine led by a distinctive grip of nectarine fruit flavours (e.g. white peaches), alongside spicier notes of toast and fig — a tasting profile that is testament to Larmandier’s enduring dedication to minimal intervention.
Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Nature Champagne NV
- Country: France
- Region: Chavot; Épernay
- Dosage: 0g/L
- Classification:Â Brut Nature
There’s a lot of crunch to this 100% Chardonnay from young maverick Aurélien Laherte, who has assumed full control of his ancestral family vineyards and cellars since 2007.
With a constant desire for distinction, he has successfully offered something incredibly unique with the young Laherte Freres. A tight, supple drop buzzing with minerality; you’re going to be getting a lot of lemon and stone fruits here, but it is the finish that is particularly show-stopping. Nutty, textural, irresistible.
Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV
- Country: France
- Region: Épernay
- Dosage: 8g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
Perrier Jouët are nothing if not immaculate in their craft: able to tease out precision and depth from Chardonnay with a deftness that is the result of two centuries of expertise.
The dedication to their emblematic grape extends to a range of dynamic terroirs across the Côte des Blancs; resulting in a cuvée that dials up classic characteristics of minerality, crisp citrus and fresh floral notes. As an aperitif, this performs particularly well.
Frerejean Frères Blanc de blancs NV Premier Cru
- Country: France
- Region: Côte des Blancs
- Dosage: 6g-7g/L
- Classification:Â Premier Cru
One of the aforementioned “below-radar bangers” we’ve enjoyed drinking this year, the signature Blanc des Blancs of the Frerejean family is yet to find its way into the Aussie zeitgeist. With credentials like these though, it’s only a matter of time.
Crafted by brothers Guillaume, Richard, and Rodolphe (all cousins to the legendary Taittinger family) this amply structured but refreshing non-vintage champagne is advertised as being composed of Chardonnay from Premier Cru sites in the Côte des Blancs. However, a portion of the fruit is in fact sourced from Grand Cru villages, making this a must-have for oenophiles who are partial to a good value proposition.
A drop that would give most Grande Maisons a run for their money; this BdB is allowed to develop impressive complexity over the course of its 5-year nap on lees; while the meticulous work in the vinification phase is preserved through use of uniformly low dosages (always between 6-7g/L).
Fun fact: Frerejean Frères has been the official Champagne House of the Michelin Guide since 2020.
Veuve Fourny & Fils Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Vertus Brut
- Country: France
- Region: Vertus
- Dosage: 6g/L
- Classification:Â Premier Cru
This 100% Chardonnay Premier Cru is typically sourced from vines which are at least 40 years old.
Given the historic Fourny family and their particular love for the cool climate terroir of Vertus, what you have here is a quintessential BdB at its finest.
The layered aromatic profile (cycling through aromas of pear and freshly baked bread) meshes well with this wine’s creamy mouthfeel. Long and dry on the finish, this is an excellent gastronomical pairing.
Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs 2013
- Country: France
- Region: Mesnil-sur-Oger; Avize
- Dosage: 8-10g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
The House of Roederer’s flagship BdB showcases grapes sourced from two villages in the Côtes de Blancs — Mesnil-sur-Oger and Avize — and created by one of the most well-known chef de caves (“cellar master”) in Champagne, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon.
Half of the vineyards were certified organic in 2021: a mission 20 years in the making for the family-owned House. Humming with notes acacia and honeysuckle; this is a light and elegantly crafted Champagne that boasts plenty of name brand recognition.
The 2013 vintage has been a mainstay since it arrived down under two years prior. One to drink now.
Ayala Le Blanc de Blancs 2015
- Country: France
- Region: Chouilly; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; Cramant
- Dosage: 6g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
Often characterised as the omega to Bollinger’s alpha, the House of Ayala (acquired by the aforementioned Grande Maison in 2005) specialises in sparkling wines which highlight, almost exclusively, “the elegance and purity [of] the Chardonnay of the Côte des Blancs”.
There is perhaps no purer expression of this passion for Chardonnay than the Le Blanc de Blancs. A wine elaborated by Caroline Latrive, Ayala’s cellar master, only in exceptional vintages: it is built around a nucleus of fruit sourced from the Maison’s own 20-hectare holding in Chouilly.
The Chardonnay from these sites is noted for its freshness and silken texture. To this, Latrive adds further fruit from Cramant and Le-Mesnil-Sur-Oger; culminating in a BdB that is demonstrably excellent across any range of criteria — whether it’s complexity, immediate drinking pleasure, or cellaring potential.
Piper Heidsieck ‘Essentiel’ Blanc de Blancs NV
- Country: France
- Region: Montagne de Reims; Côte des Bar
- Dosage: 4g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
A notably dry ‘extra brut’ style of Champagne that has been aged on its lees for 3 years. True to its name, the wine is dosed with only 4 grams of sugar per litre at the conclusion of fermentation.
Structured and food-friendly, it has a lightly toasty nose full of Mirabelle plum and pear.
Palmer & Co. Blanc de Blancs NV
- Country: France
- Region: Â de Sezanne
- Dosage: 7g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
Produced, somewhat intriguingly, by a consortium of Champagne growers who have been extant in Reims since 1947; the Palmer & Co style differs from the vast majority of what you’ll find produced in the the Côtes de Blanc thanks to the chalk-heavy soil composition that is characteristic of the Montaigne de Reims. A portion of the grapes used in this cuvée are also sourced from the Côtes de Sezanne.
Soft and rounded on the palate, this is an elegant and fresher style of BdB that works well as a prelude to big meals.
Pierre Gimonnet Grand Terroirs de Chardonnay ‘Special Club’ 2015
- Country: France
- Region: Cramant; Chouilly; Montaigu; Cuis
- Dosage: 5g/L
- Classification:Â Grand Cru
Any list of best-in-class BdBs is incomplete without the name ‘Gimonnet’. Led by brothers Didier and Olivier — both direct descendants of founder Pierre Gimonnet — the estate’s ‘Special Club’ is assembled (as the blend’s innovative metal packaging discloses) from the grandest sites in the Côtes de Blancs.
Crucially, this includes Chardonnay sourced from the family’s own vineyards in Cramant: including a number of parcels where the most mature vines are over 40 years old.
The 2015 vintage that is currently available in Australia offers an incredibly pure and energized take on BdB Champagne: lifted with stone fruit and mineral flavours; and a long, crispy finish.
Pommery ‘Apenage’ Blanc de Blancs
- Country: France
- Region: Montagne de Reims; Côtes des Blancs
- Dosage: 9g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
A brand new release from the House of Pommery. This ‘Apenage’ style of Blanc de Blancs is created with cuisine in mind and has a backbone of grapes source from the Côtes de Blancs, blended with Chardonnay from the Montaigne de Reims.
Lively in the glass and on the tongue, structured, and complex.
Jacques Lassaigne ‘Les Vignes de Montgueux’ Extra Brut NV
- Country: France
- Region: Montgueux (Côte des Bar)
- Dosage: 0g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
A Champagne producer with an old school approach to viniculture, located atop of a rocky outcrop of ancient chalk in a part of Champagne known as Montgeux (“Beggar’s Mountain”).
A unique proposition as to compared to many of the more classically styled BdBs on our list, Lassaigne’s flagship is made with zero dosage; in addition to a range of other traditional techniques (e.g. hand-disgorgement) that contribute to its uniquely refreshing, citrusy profile.
A memorable Champagne with an intensely crystalline, it’s frequently on backorder with Australia’s fine wine importers. That said, if you can stomach a margin, it’s currently on the list at popular Paddington eatery, Fred’s.
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV
- Country: France
- Region: Côte des Blancs; Montagne de Reims
- Dosage: 9g/L
- Classification:Â N/A
Years ago, while filming a video for Australian sparkling outfit Arras — whose EJ Carr Late Disgorged 2004 was recently crowned ‘best sparkling in the world’ by Decanter Magazine in 2020 — our co-founder James asked the man himself, Ed Carr, what his favourite sparkling was.
Arras’ own portfolio notwithstanding, his answer was Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. The combination of availability; price; pedigree; packaging; and most importantly drinkability, combine for one of the most exciting and delicious sparkling wines in the world.
In James’s own words: “if I had to choose one wine to drink every day for the remainder of my mortal years, this would be it”.
How’s that for a stamp of approval?
And While Not Officially A Champagne…
Arras Blanc de Blancs 2014
Australian wine maker Ed Carr has achieved world renowned greatness at Arras, taking out top sparkling wine in Decanter’s Wines Of The Year 2020 with his EJ Carr Late Disgorged 2004.
Although it’s the classic Arras Blanc de Blancs 2014 vintage that really showcases just how valuable and extraordinary Carr’s firm grasp on the industry is.