Lilbert & Fils Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV

Alcohol: 12%

Grape(s): Chardonnay

Localization: Cote des Blancs, Champagne, France

Tasting Notes: Grand cru grapes from the Côte des Blancs give this Champagne great intensity and texture. While the bottling is still a little young, it does have hints of the richness of maturity that will shine through the white fruits and lemon flavors. 

Notes: 100% Chardonnay from Cramant in the Côte des Blancs. The majority of the fruit comes from the Buissons vineyard, one of the most famous in Cramant. It has very little topsoil and just 40 centimeters below the surface you have pure chalk. The vines have bountiful sun with full southern exposure. Lilbert's vines were planted by his grandfather in 1936! Like the other wines, it's fermented and aged in stainless steel.

94 points: "Offering up aromas of crisp green apple, peach, white flowers and freshly baked bread, Lilbert's 2014 Grand Cru Cramant Blanc de Blancs is medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, its fleshy core of fruit girdled by racy acids and enlivened by a pretty pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a bright, chalky finish, its alliance of classical balance with considerable youthful charm is immensely appealing. It was disgorged in summer 2020 with three grams per liter dosage."

The Domain: Lilbert owns 3.5 hectares of vines- all Grand Cru, and all Chardonnay, with an average vine age of 45 years- in the Côte des Blancs. 60% of their vines are in Cramant, 30% in Chouilly, and 10% in Oiry. These are three of the six Grand Cru villages in the Côte des Blancs. It is rare that anyone house owns exclusively Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs; Bertrand calls himself "very lucky" to be able to make wines from such prestigious vineyards. All of the parcels are vinified separately until two weeks before bottling. The NV represents 80% of the production and is aged in the cellar for two years. Dosage is normally around 7g/L since Bertrand is going for acidity in his wines and not ripeness. (He does not perform batonnage because it makes the wines too heavy.) The winery is tiny and the latest investment is a 4,000kg pneumatic press and a disgorgement machine. Each bottle is still riddled by hand. The end result is a true connoisseurs champagne.