Blanc de Blancs Champagne: Panel tasting results

Tom Hewson, Alan Bednarski and Shane Jones tasted 89 wines with 3 Outstanding and 34 Highly recommended.

Blanc de Blancs Champagne: Panel tasting scores

89 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 34

Recommended 46

Commended 6

Fair 0

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit non-vintage and latest-release vintage blanc de blancs Champagnes made from white grapes only.

Blanc de blancs is often touted as a delicate, aperitif-style Champagne. This tasting told a more complex story, however: there were broad, food-friendly examples incorporating smart oak use; sleek, long-aged wines to linger over; and creamy, approachable non-vintage wines, too. The wines that impressed most in this tasting showed the refreshing, often chalky focus that Champagne’s greatest Chardonnay is known for: ‘Depth of flavour, complexity, fine acidity and the potential for positive development in bottle,’ said fellow judge Shane Jones.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Blanc de Blancs Champagne panel tasting

The question mark that hung over the tasting, though, was around style: with warmer vintages bringing ever riper characters to Chardonnay, is blanc de blancs undergoing an image change?

The quality of the vintage seems to play an important role, not only in vintage Champagnes but also for the base vintage in non-vintage wines. ‘We can see how producers are trying to adapt to a new reality of ripe and warm years,’ said Alan Bednarski, who remarked that the 2015 vintage wines – a year marked by extreme heat and drought – were often ‘mediocre’.

Individual wines from Ruinart (2010) and Charles Heidsieck (2007) proved that lesser Champagne vintages can yield terrific blanc de blancs, while 2016 wines from A Bergère, Ayala and Henriot suggested that this conservatively rated year may yield some delicious prestige cuvées and vintage blanc de blancs.

The non-vintage field was a little flatter than anticipated, though. ‘The most disappointing examples were found in the NV category – most of these were rich and round and lacked that vibrant acidity I was hoping for,’ said Jones. Bednarski agreed: ‘The trend I saw during this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards judging was confirmed – we will be seeing more interesting vintage wines than classic NVs.’

See all the Blanc de Blancs Champagne panel tasting notes and scores

An explanation may lie in the fact that many NV wines rely heavily on warm, high-maturity vintages for the base of their blends. 2017, while far easier for Chardonnay than for Pinot, has proven an intense, not hugely elegant year for Chardonnay, and 2018’s ripeness can rob blanc de blancs of its classic, nervy energy. 2019-base wines will likely bring more focus and freshness.

Location is also important: because of Chardonnay’s expense (and relative rarity) in Champagne, many entry-level wines rely on Chardonnay grown outside the often chalky grands crus and premiers crus of the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. In the top 20 wines it is only the A Bergère, Moutard and Esterlin wines that extensively showcase fruit from elsewhere (A Bergère being from the hotly tipped Val du Petit Morin), whereas at least nine of the bottom 20 wines were based outside the grands and premiers crus.

For those considering showstoppers for the Christmas table, the message when it comes to prestige blanc de blancs is that time ‘on cork’ – after release – matters. The two top scorers had enjoyed at least 18 months of age since release, so readers eyeing new releases from high-tension years like 2013 and 2014 would be advised to tuck one away for next Christmas rather than expect immediate fireworks.

Blanc de Blancs Champagne panel tasting scores

The judges

Tom Hewson is Champagne correspondent for Decanter and Decanter Premium online, and a DWWA judge. A jazz musician, he writes on sparkling wine more broadly on the Six Atmospheres Substack.

Alan Bednarski is head sommelier for Main Square Hospitality Group, which runs top restaurants across Krakow, also managing the portfolio for major distributor House of Champagne (Poland). He previously worked in London venues including 28°-50°, Texture and Annabel’s, and is a DWWA judge for Champagne.

Shane Jones is an independent wine, Port and sake educator, certified by the WSET and the Sake Sommelier Association. A DWWA judge for Champagne, he is based in London but teaches around the UK as well as in France and Germany.

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