Take a Walk on the White Side

Chalked Up! The Greatness of Champagne’s Chardonnay

Stave off the heat this summer with our recommendations for some of the best blanc de blancs available now. From light and bright to mouth-filling creaminess and salivating minerality, these champagnes will quench your summer thirst. .

WORDS BY Sara Underdown PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jack Turner

Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs 2011, Agrapart & Fils Terroirs Extra Brut and GH Mumm's RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2013

Pure and Mineral

Champagne doesn’t always have to be fruity or yeasty. Pure, clean and mineral styles heighten our appreciation for the terroir they herald from, all the while enthralling us with their salivating salinity, freshness and lively acidity. Serve them with their food equals…something that is light and fresh from the sea.

Agrapart & Fils Terroirs Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru

100% chardonnay taken from two vintages in Avize, Cramant, Oger and Oiry. Vines are an average 40 years old. Comprises 50% reserve wine and 50% from barrel. Up to 36 months on lees. Dosage is 5g/L. RRP $165

This is a bright, ripe and mineral style with aromas reminiscent of wet chalk, white pepper, pear and grass, but with some slightly oxidative notes. The palate is chiselled and pure, possessing gripping mineral tension and lemon freshness, softened by flavours of comforting pear tarte tatin. Expect a long, dry finish.

Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs 2011

100% chardonnay taken from Avize. 18% vinified in oak. No malolactic fermentation. Lower pressure. Aged 5 years on lees + 8 months post-disgorgement. Dosage is 9g/L. RRP $160

Louis Roederer’s blanc de blancs are typically more earthy than fruity, with a purity and delicacy seldom seen elsewhere. In the 2011 vintage, the nose is garden-fresh, melding together orchard fruits with white flowers and hay without betraying the salty genesis of its terroir. The palate is immediately bright, with a mineral liveliness, but gives way to something that is velvety, fine and graceful. Humming away in the background is a subtle fruit intensity, adding complexity and weight, to this multi-faceted, delicious and elegant champagne that ends with a trademark saline finish.

G.H. Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2013

100% chardonnay taken from Cramant. Vinified in stainless steel. 4.5 bars of pressure. Aged for 3-4 years on lees. Dosage is 6g/L. RRP $170

From the ‘chalk mountain’ comes a champagne that is particularly refined: pure, restrained and delicate. The combination of the cooler 2013 vintage with RSRV’s lower pressure style makes it so. The nose is all about the sea – oyster shell and wet chalk present a fresh impression - and just a hint of acacia adds some floral beauty. On the palate, it’s light and subtly creamy, dry and saline, leaving a fine chalk fingerprint from the beginning to its long finish.

GH Mumm's RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2013

(Top) Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2013 is beautifully textured and elegant. (Bottom) The fine and creamy style of Pommery's new non-vintage blanc de blancs Apanage.

Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Blanc de Blancs NV and Voirin-Jumel Blanc de Blancs NV

Energetic and Bright

Feel the rush of bright acidity, lively minerality and concentrated flavours with these worthy suggestions. They make for excellent apéritifs, but not only. Consider serving them with salmon blinis, oysters au naturel or creamy crab canapes with a twist of lemon to keep things fresh and zingy.

Pierre Péters Cuvée de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

50% 2015 base vintage and 50% solera reserve going back to 1988. Fruit taken from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, Oger and Avize. Partial malolactic fermentation. Dosage is 7g/L.

RRP $95

The wines of Pierre Péters consistently punch above their weight for a small producer, privileged to some of the best vineyards belonging to grand cru villages in the Côte des Blancs. This champagne is one of the best in their range. A youthful, sea spray and oyster shell nose is offset by the warming aromas of almond croissant and toast, care of some impressive solera complexity. The palate is simply exhilarating and delicious, smacking of lemon zest before plunging into the salty depths of the sea. But just before things get too chilly, be buoyed by the underlying richness of tropical fruit notes and brioche. A simply stunning non-vintage blanc de blancs, exuding confidence in its flare and finesse. It finishes long and strong.

Voirin-Jumel Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut NV

100% chardonnay taken from Cramant, Chouilly, Avize and Oger. Based on 2015 with 20% reserve wine added. Dosage is 6g/L.

RRP $75

This is a super-fresh and lively style, with a tensile quality that keeps everything focused and driven. On the nose, it speaks loudly of its grand cru origins, with bright citrus, florals and cool mineral notes. The palate is alleviated from its strong mineral grip by some nice mid-palate fruit intensity and light creaminess borrowed from Cramant. The finish is of medium length. A really enjoyable apéritif-style champagne that is also one of the best value for money.