2004 Delamotte Champagne Blanc de Blancs

A great champagne is first and foremost a great win e. This is the founding principle and the ultimate challenge driving Maison Delamotte since 1760 - a philosophy shared by its sister house in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the mythical Champagne Salon, named after the man who pioneered Blanc de Blancs in the early 1900s. The quality of these champagnes and the enchantment bubbling from every bottle are based on this commitment. A wine of consummate subtlety, depth, aromatic richness and flavor will, in the hands of skilled winemakers, yield a wine as elegant and pure, but also as complex, as Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2004.

The 2004 Blanc de Blancs is vivid and captivating from the very first taste. White orchard fruit, smoke, slate and wild flowers are some of the many notes that come alive in a dazzling Champagne that captures the essence of this great Chardonnay vintage. Veins of underlying salinity and acidity support the vivid, textured finish. The 2004 Blanc de Blancs is a superb Champagne in its price range. Readers won't want to miss it. Vinous/Galloni 94

 (Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Brut (Mesnil-sur-Oger)) The 2004 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs was produced from grapes grown in the four grand cru villages of Mesnil, Avize, Cramant and Oger and spent eight years on the lees prior to disgorgement. The wine is fermented entirely in stainless steel and only a percentage of the vins clairs underwent malo in this vintage. At age ten, the wine is still very young and racy, but it has fine potential. The bouquet is a very fine blend of pear, wheat toast, chalky soil tones, plenty of smokiness, white peach and a bit of hazelnut. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and well-balanced, with a good core, fine focus, elegant mousse and a long, primary finish. There is still just a touch of backend bitterness here that is a sign of the youth of this wine, and a year or two in the cellar should allow the wine to fully blossom and start to hit on all cylinders. (Drink between 2015-2030) John Gilman 91+