Glossary
Blanc de Blancs
A champagne made exclusively from white grapes — in practice, 100% Chardonnay. Known for precision, linearity and long ageing potential.
Blanc de Blancs — literally “white of whites” — is a champagne produced from white grapes only. The permitted white varieties in the AOC are Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier and Arbane, but in practice the overwhelming majority of Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay.
The style is closely associated with the chalk-rich Côte des Blancs, whose grand cru villages — Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly and Oiry — give the taut, mineral-driven profile for which the category is celebrated. Salon, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, Ruinart Dom Ruinart and Krug Clos du Mesnil are all Blanc de Blancs.
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