 So, this week I've had my best friend down to stay for a few days so I decided to do a cheeky private tasting for just me, her and hubby! I've been hankering to taste a Blanc de Noir Champagne next to a Blanc de Blanc Champagne for quite a while now and this seemed like the perfect excuse. The difference between these two are the grapes used. There are only three allowed grapes for the production of champagne. One white - chardonnay - and two red - pinot noir and pinot meunier. Most Champagne wines are a blend of the three in varying measures, however a Blanc de Blanc uses only the white grape and a Blanc de Noir only the red. So we decided to go for Sainsbury's own brand Champagne, mainly because they're so readily available and because it would be a real straight comparison between the two. Blanc de Noir & Blanc de Blanc. Plus the bottles look lovely together. So we started with the Blanc de Blanc, this was pale lemon in colour with small persistent bubbles. It smelt delicious with lots of apples and apricot but also a lovely vanilla note too. We found it supremely refreshing with a gorgeous dry, zingy flavour that had apple and peachy notes. Moving onto the Blanc de Noir there was an instant difference in appearance with a definite straw colour and a little less fizz. I loved the fact that this smelt of cherry and strawberry; a pleasant suprose since it's absolutely not what you expect from a white wine. The taste was lovely too, lots of biscuity and creamy flavour with a strawberry tang and really lovely acidity. For me this was the winner of the night; an elegant, round flavour which lingered. However I loved the fact that best friend much preferred the Blanc de Blanc as what she called a 'very quaffable fizz'. Needless to say the three of us managed to finish both bottles with ease and a great night was had by all. Definitely a fantastic way to spend a Wednesday evening! Why not try it yourself? Let me know what you thought! |
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