2006 A.R. Lenoble Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Gentilhomme

While a pronouncedly stony but also rather tart and acrid “regular” Lenoble blanc de blancs from this vintage was underwhelming (as was a rather diffuse, slightly dank non-vintage version), the 2006 Brut Blancs de Blancs Cuvee Gentilhomme – from what they consider their prime parcels, and treated around 20% to barrique-maturation – made a far more interesting and satisfying impression. Lemon, grapefruit, apple and white peach are intriguingly tinged with green tea as well as with pronouncedly piquant fruit pit. Welcome, saliva-liberating salinity and generous sheer juiciness combine to keep this from seeming too austere, even at a mere three grams of residual sugar. There is a combination of graininess – almost grit – with finishing tang, piquancy and grip that I certainly wouldn’t characterized as refined or nuanced. But this should prove worth employing at table over the next couple of years. I obtained a decidedly mixed impression from my initial sampling of Anne and Antoine Malassagne’s wines. But then, it has to be said that Lenoble Champagnes are clearly not intended to charm or immediately ingratiate. Importer: Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639