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We tasted Champagne this time. The most commonly used grape varieties for Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Generally, Chardonnay provides the expression and acidity, Pinot Noir provides the richness, power and roundness and Pinot Meunier adds fruitiness, so the blending helps to balance the taste and aroma. To make elegant, balanced, lees-aged Champagne less intense fruit flavours are usually preferable. Blanc de Noirs is much less frequently encountered than the Blanc de Blancs, although in actual fact far more black grapes than whites are grown in champagne. We selected bottles of Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs against other champagnes to see the degree of effervescence, prise de mousse, which literally means ‘capturing the sparkle’, the blend balance, life-span with acidity, and the Aroma provided by black grapes. |
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