2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs

100% grand cru Chardonnay. Aged 7 years, disgorged July 2022. Dosage 6.5 g/l. Tight, lean, very 2014 burgundy in style with a slightly one-dimensional character at the moment. Laser-like on the palate, sherbet lemon on the finish. This will be better with some further maturation in bottle. (AWH)

Attractive flint and ripe orchard-fruit nose. Excellent development with plenty of primary freshness. Really vibrant fruit. Tingles on the palate. Lingering yeasty notes on the finish. Seems to have plenty of gas left in the tank. (RH)

A blend of the six Grand Cru villages of the Cote de Blancs, with 6.5 grams per liter dosage, the 2014 Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut is fresh and precise, with aromas of vibrant green apple, pleasant reduction with flint, and delicate smoke, citrus blossoms, and wet stone. The transition to the palate is seamless and linear, with crisp and crunchy green fruit, and is electric with lime candy, a refined mousse, and a chalky texture. It warrants more time before opening, but it is delicious and refreshing now. Drink over 2023-2043. The sister house to Salon, Delamotte owns 10 hectares of vineyards in Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Cramant, and Avize, and they purchase from 80 hectares, mostly Chardonnay from Oiry and Chouilly and some Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims in Bouzy, Ambonnay, and Tours sur Marne. A small amount of Meunier is purchased from around Epernay. When Salon does not produce a vintage wine, those parcels go into the production of Delamotte bottlings. Like Salon, the wines are fermented and matured entirely in stainless steel; however, malolactic fermentation is achieved on a case-by-case basis.