Delamotte : Blanc de Blancs 2012

A fresh and creamy version, featuring a tang of salinity, layered with pear, kiwifruit, green almond and lime blossom notes. Not a powerhouse, but an elegant crowd-pleaser. Disgorged June 2019. Drink now through 2024. 200 cases imported.

Since the house is based in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger on the Côte des Blancs, it is hardly surprising that this vintage wine is pure Chardonnay. It is relatively young and tight, with crisp citrus shot through by tangy acidity. Drink from 2022.

The lush, approachable 2012 vintage from Delamotte has unctuous aromas of ripe apple and William pear with a suggestion of yeasty autolysis and a hint of fresh cream. The texture on the palate is enlivened by crisp but not bracing acidity that sustains the wine through a lingering finish. Discreet and harmonious notes of walnut and smoke add to the pleasure on the palate. The grapes are exclusively from the five grand crus of the Côte des Blancs, and the wine is aged nine years on the lees before being disgorged with a dosage of 6.5 g/L.

Cooked apple and mineral with flint and graphite on the nose. Chalk and buttered brioche, too. Full body with great depth from the vintage. Fantastic length and depth. First released in 2020 and aging so well. Improving beautifully. From the six crus of the Cote de Blancs: Chouilly, Mesnil, Oger, Avize, Cramant and Oiry. Drink now.

Delamotte’s 2012 Brut Vintage is rich, creamy and super-expressive. This is only the second vintage (the first was 2008) in which fruit from Oiry rounds out the classic core of Le Mesnil, Oger and Cramant that forms the backbone of the Vintage. Dried pear, white flowers, chamomile and mint are some of the notes that grace this exquisite understated Blanc de Blancs. The 2012 offers terrific depth and textural resonance in a creamy, expressive style that captures the radiant personality of the year and the understated, quiet voice that is such a Delamotte signature.

(100% Chardonnay, Dossage 6.5 grams) Silky, finely mineral, fresh bouquet, with delicate notes of mirabelle plum, smoke, yeast, and biscuit dough. Silky, refined palate with good fruit, fine mousse, fresh acidity, fragrant aromatics, and a long, fresh finish. Can still improve. 17/20. Drink – 2038

Six Grand Cru vineyards from the Côte des Blancs come together in this brilliant blend. A lovely golden-yellow hue and remarkably precise aromas: white-fruited, candied-lemon citrus and floral notes beautifully support a smoky, chalky line. The first hints of hazelnut confirm the feeling of a great blanc de blancs, just the way we love them. An olfactory benchmark. On the palate, the mousse is exquisitely delicate; the citrus flavours are delivered with poise, and the chalky impression unfolds with a finely powdery touch. A superb finish with a long, saline, maritime lift.

The palate is more open than the non-vintage, showing a fine level of maturity. There is a touch of reduction typical of this house, but the overall feel is creamier on the palate, with a broader mid-palate in step with the vintage. Good volume for this flavoursome, well-balanced wine.

What a superb Champagne, with a chalky nose of citrus, honeysuckle and brioche, expressing every nuance of this 100% Chardonnay. The palate is zesty, chiseled, very expressive and perfectly harmonious. A tremendous success that will keep for at least twenty years.