What is blanc de blancs Champagne?
Join us for a joyful deep dive into blanc de blancs: fatcork’s favorite chardonnay-driven Champagne style. 
Champagne enthusiasts that we are, we pride ourselves on offering the world’s best grower Champagne. That includes cuvées in a range of types, styles and degrees of dryness — as you know, all fatcork Champagne is classified as brut or below. But while we love all our bubbles equally, there’s a reason why you’ll find more blanc de blancs at fatcork than anywhere else in the U.S.
WHAT IS BLANC DE BLANCS CHAMPAGNE?
Blanc de blancs is Champagne made exclusively with white grapes. (Similarly, blanc de noirs is Champagne made with the clear juices of dark-skinned grapes.) Of the three main Champagne grapes, chardonnay is the only one that is a white grape. So, is blanc de blancs always chardonnay? The answer is not so simple.
By French law four other grapes can also be used. They are arbane, petit meslier, pinot blanc and pinot gris. These four are also the only grapes besides the main three — chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier — that can be grown in Champagne. But, for our grower-producers and especially those in the Côte des Blancs, blanc de blancs is almost always 100% chardonnay.
Blanc de blancs made with 100% chardonnay is something of a chameleon. Of all the Champagne grape varietals, chardonnay stands out for its ability to clearly express the character of the land where it was grown. Dubbed “the winemaker’s grape,” it responds beautifully to technique, transforming its characteristics through methods like malolactic fermentation and extended aging sur lie.
Like a perfectly clean, pristine canvas, these cuvées are a stunning way for our grower-producers to show off the best of what Champagne has to offer.
How do you pronounce blanc de blancs? In French, the ‘c’ at the end is silent. The way our producers say “blanc de blancs” sounds like “blon duh blon.”
CHARDONNAY - UNDRESSED
Chardonnay makes up 31% of the plantings in the Champagne region and can be found in each of the four subregions. Small and light green-skinned, it does particularly well in the rich soil of Montagne de Reims, and it absolutely thrives in the chalky slopes of Côte des Blancs, where it makes up 98% of the plantings.
Unlike the heavily oaky California chardonnay that became so widely popular in the 1980s — and drew its share of backlash in the 2000s — blanc de blancs from Champagne’s cool climate showcases the grape in an entirely different light: lean, racy and brilliantly crisp.
But that’s just the beginning. Diverse pockets of terroir across Champagne shape an extraordinary range of blanc de blancs cuvées that are a joy to explore. Some of the most captivating chardonnay grows in Côte des Blancs. In fact, the area takes its name from the dominance of the varietal, which is grown there more than anywhere else in Champagne. The region extends for about 9 miles from the northeast to the southwest in a backwards “L” shape at a right angle to the Vallée de la Marne. Forest covers the highest points of this hilly, sloping subregion. Just below, vineyards are situated mostly east and southeast-facing in the midslope section where clay-rich topsoil from the top of the slopes gives way to the prized terroir: a thin layer of topsoil over deep chalk that extends more than 60 feet down in some places.
Chardonnay seedlings emerged in Burgundy, likely during the Middle Ages, as a natural cross between a white grape called gouais blanc and pinot noir.
There are 10 classified wine-growing villages in Côte de Blancs — six Grand Cru and four Premier Cru, each with its own celebrated terroir. For example, the Grand Cru village of Avize is known for producing medium-bodied blanc de blancs with mouthwatering energy, pronounced acidity and vibrant citrus notes. They are often characterized by their distinct minerality ending in a salty finish. In neighboring Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the Grand Cru vineyards are revered for chardonnay wines with exceptional finesse and structure as well as their ability to get even better over time. Home to fatcork producer Gimonnet-Oger, the Premier Cru village of Cuis produces elegant, mineral-driven wines that feel fresh and precise.
One of Champagne’s warmest and sunniest spots, Montagne de Reims runs east-west between two rivers: the Vesle to the north and the Marne to the south. Its landscape is defined by limestone slopes and steep valleys that follow the contours of the mountain. While pinot noir dominates in the vineyards here, the Premier Cru villages of Trépail, Villers-Marmery and Vaudemange, on the eastern slope, are known for chardonnay that is remarkably crisp, fragrant and fruit-forward with striking backbone.
Though they are not necessarily known for their chardonnay, vignerons in several other Premier Cru Montagne de Reims villages, such as Sacy and Treslon, have both been growing it in their vineyards for generations. Historically, these grapes have been used during blending to add elegance, but more and more, vignerons are highlighting these dazzling grapes all on their own.
Blanc de blancs Champagne pairs especially well with fresh, delicate, salty fare. Try it with oysters, grilled white fish, angel hair pasta with garden veggies or slices of French bread smeared with salted butter and blue cheese.
BLANC'S BIG REVEAL
Growing incredible chardonnay is only the beginning. Vignerons use a variety of winemaking methods and techniques to transform the freshly pressed grapes into their own signature style of blanc de blancs Champagne.
Malolactic fermentation is a process that can occur naturally during or after the primary fermentation. It converts harsh malic acid into soft lactic acid, essentially transforming a very acidic wine into something more approachable. Depending on their preference, vignerons can allow this process to happen on its own, induce it by introducing a certain kind of bacteria or block it through the addition of sulfur dioxide, temperature control or other stabilization techniques. Blancs de blancs that have undergone malolactic fermentation are rounder, creamier and more nuanced, while those that have not are more austere, definitely zesty and lightning crisp.
Another way that vignerons can impart personality on their cuvées is through aging sur lie or “on the lees.” This technique allows the Champagne to mature in the bottle with the dead yeast cells that are left over after second fermentation. Longer aging sur lie builds complexity through a process called autolysis, where the yeast breaks down, releasing amino acids and sugars. The result is a more refined texture and a creamier mouthfeel with more nutty and bready notes. On the other hand, blancs de blancs that spends minimal time sur lie are more crisp and fruit-driven.
Material matters, too. Blanc de blancs is typically fermented in either oak or stainless steel. When a vigneron wants to perform precise temperature management and exert hands-on control through the whole winemaking process, their go-to is stainless steel. These sleek vats are also easy to keep clean and eliminate wine loss due to evaporation. Steel produces flavors and aromas that are austere, pure and clean.
During fermentation, the porous nature of oak barrels, new or used, allows the wine to breathe, resulting in finesse, subtle nuances, and rich, round and complex aromas. A beautiful example of oak used to perfection is Gimonnet-Oger’s Fût de Chêne Premier Cru. The cuvée begins with meticulously cared for chardonnay from the nutrient-rich soils of Cuis. Then, vigneron Jean-Luc Gimonnet uses oak barrels during fermentation to give the blanc de blancs its rich, deep flavors and aromas. After 10 years in the cellar, Jean-Luc disgorges the bottles just before he ships them to fatcork to maintain their unsurpassable freshness.
You can try Gimonnet-Oger’s Fût de Chêne, along with 44 other amazing blanc de blancs bottles from more than a dozen different producers and various terroirs — all at fatcork.
Pictured: Jean-Luc Gimonnet in one of his premier cru Côte des Blancs vineyards in Cuis.