CHAMPAGNE DIEBOLT-VALLOIS - CRAMANT

Lastest press comments:

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Prestige: 93 points - "This tightly knit Champagne brings something more with each sip, and a hint of peach leads first to ripe apple and quince flavors, then papaya, nut, lemon meringue, ginger, licorice, and grated coconut notes. This is very focused, with racy acidity and fine texture throughout."

WINE & SPIRITS Magazine - Year's Best Champagne - December 2011

Champagne Blanc de Blancs: 93 points - "Youthfully bright and subtle, this blanc de blancs starts from a scent of caramel and apples, expanding into fresher directions of zesty mint and fennel. The texture is supple, the flavors succulent and appetite inducing. You could take it in the direction of langoustines or roast veal."

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Prestige: 94 points - "The austere power of this wine buzzes in the mouth, a tingle of limestone, apple flesh and the pale toast of lees. It's a delicate, pure chardonnay that becomes dramatic in its intensity and breadth. The precision of the flavors will serve this well as it ages."

Champagne Rosé: 94 points - BEST BUY - "Deep in color and vinous in its red fruit, this is a spicy and compelling rosé. There's pristine strawberry flavor at its core, surrounded by accents of red grapefruit, blood orange and fennel. The wine's intensity rises like its bubbles from base note to high notes, leaving a pale red fruit ghosting in the finish."

2012 GAULT MILLAU WINE GUIDE
Champagne Diebolt-Vallois: Estate awarded 6 stars out of 7 (= "Exceptional production")

Champagne Fleur de Passion 2004: 19 /20 - “As perfect as ever, Fleur de Passion is a blanc de blancs champagne with a beautifully expressive nose showing cool white flowers, and bready, vanilla and toasted hints. The mouth is elegant, lively and long, with a touch of minerality, fruit and elegance.”

Champagne Prestige: 18.5 /20 - “An admirable champagne, deploying expressive citrus aromas with white fruit and hints of aniseed, hedgerow flowers and spice. The mouth is elegant, and magnificently structured . The finish is cool, long and powerful.”

Champagne Millésimé 2005 : 18 /20 - “This 2005 is a complex champagne offering yellow and white stone fruit on the nose, together with grassy and toasted hints. In the mouth the balance is subtle; there is freshness, finesse, volume and elegance, all with a very persistent mineral finish.”

Champagne Millésimé 2004 : 18 /20 - “A perfectly structured champagne. On the mouth there is a fine mousse, it is delicate, rounded, broad and pure, yet powerful and lively, all in the most perfect balance.”

Champagne Millésimé 1999 : 18 /20 -“Now here's a champagne with a rich expression of fruit between tropical and yellow stone fruit with hints of new mown hay, butter and minerals. In the mouth it is seductive, rich and pure, fresh, charming and beautifully long.”

Champagne Blanc de Blancs: 17.5 /20 - “A tasty distinguished champagne, that is broad and mouth-filling, with a nose scented with citrus, white fruits and with floral hints and a touch of minerality and spice. In the mouth, there's breadth, finesse, vivacity and a long finish of green apples.”

Rosé Champagne: 16.5 /20 - “This is a refreshing and precise champagne with scents of ripe red shrub fruits, raspberries and pomegranates, with floral hints. On the mouth, the house style comes through in finesse, freshness, vivacity and fruit.”

2012 "LES MEILLEURS VINS DE FRANCE" WINE GUIDE (by La Revue du Vin de France):

“An estate which sets the standard for ‘blanc de blancs'.”

“Jacques Diebolt, now with the help of his children, is a fine winemaker who creates elegant, vigorous wines from his vineyards. These are mainly to be found in Cramant et Cuis in the Côte des Blancs, and he makes a range of wines dominated, as you would expect, by Chardonnay. These are gracious, very long lived (think of the legendary Cramant 1953) model champagnes, especially for the Fleur de Passion, vinified in barrel without malo-lactic fermentation.”

“The wines: The Rosé Champagne combines hints of vinous cherries with the tautness of chardonnay (14.5 /20). The Brut Blanc de Blancs is fresh, crunchy, taut and tight with a thirst quenching finish (14.5 /20). The taster's pleasure goes up a notch with the Cuvée Prestige with toasty chardonnay flavours combined with delicious yellow fruits. Magnificently generous and balanced. (15.5 /20). The 2005 Vintage Champagne in turn demonstrates beautiful maturity, in a somewhat spicier style. It is lacking a touch of tautness with which it would be a very great vintage (16 /20). The 1999 shows substance, firmness and honeyed hints of acacia; it is a champagne to drink now with seafood starters. (16 /20). Finally, the Champagne Fleur de Passion 2004 is painted in a palette that is fresher, but it will also evolve towards distinguished honeyed and gastronomic flavours (16,5 /20).”