Diebolt-Vallois : Blanc de Blancs 2019

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Blanc de Blancs 2019 from Diebolt-Vallois

Tasting

Appearance
This Champagne reveals a yellow-green colour of medium intensity, strikingly brilliant, enlivened by a fine and persistent mousse.

Nose
The nose is fresh and fruity, driven by notes of citrus (lemon, grapefruit) and green apple, subtly enhanced by floral touches and hints of biscuit.

Palate
The palate combines flavours of apple and citrus with touches of hazelnut and biscuit, set against a mineral backbone evoking marine notes. Crisp acidity brings tension, while the light dosage rounds out the finish, for a length that is fair to good.

Food and Wine Pairing

This Blanc de Blancs is a delightful companion to an aperitif as well as to seafood: oysters, caviar, scallops or lobster pair naturally with its freshness and minerality. It is also well suited to delicate fish, whether raw or marinated, as well as to fried dishes such as tempura or fried chicken, whose richness it helps to balance. Finally, it finds a fine common ground with creamy soft-rind cheeses, such as Brie or Camembert.

Serving and Cellaring

The Blanc de Blancs 2019 is ideally served between 8 and 10 °C. It can be enjoyed now, but also lends itself to several years of ageing in the cellar.

A Distinguished Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs, Signature of the House of Diebolt-Vallois

The Estate

Founded in 1978 in Cramant, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, the Champagne House of Diebolt-Vallois brings together the heritage of the Diebolt family, winegrowers in Cramant since the late 19th century, and the Vallois family, established in Cuis since the 16th century. Today run by Isabelle and Arnaud Diebolt, alongside their parents Jacques Diebolt and Nadia Vallois, the House cultivates around eleven hectares of vines, predominantly planted with Chardonnay. Still family-owned and independent, Diebolt-Vallois has built a solid reputation among the Blanc de Blancs producers of the Côte des Blancs.

The Vineyard

The grapes for this Blanc de Blancs come from the Chardonnay plots of the Champagne Diebolt-Vallois vineyard, located mainly in Cramant and Cuis, two villages classified respectively as Grand Cru and Premier Cru in the Côte des Blancs. The soils, made up of a thin layer of topsoil resting on deep chalk, and the slopes facing east and south-east in Cramant, or north-west and due south in Cuis, offer ideal conditions for the slow ripening of Chardonnay and the preservation of its natural acidity. The vines have an average age of around 35 years, and the harvest is carried out by hand.

The Vintage

The 2019 vintage in Champagne was distinguished by pronounced fruit ripeness without excessive heat, allowing Chardonnay to express a character that is both generous and fresh. These conditions favoured a balanced harvest, retaining sufficient acidity to ensure the tension and freshness characteristic of the Blanc de Blancs wines of the Côte des Blancs.

Vinification and Ageing

The Blanc de Blancs 2019 is crafted using the traditional Champagne method, with a second fermentation in the bottle. Vinification takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, without any time in oak, in order to preserve the purity of the fruit and the aromatic precision of Chardonnay. The wine is then aged on lees for approximately 24 months before disgorgement, a length of time that allows it to develop biscuit nuances while retaining its freshness.

Grape Variety

This Champagne is made from 100% Chardonnay, the emblematic grape variety of the Côte des Blancs, which gives it its tension, minerality and aromatic precision.