Champagne, Dame de Carreau ‘Queen of the Diamonds’

100% Pinot Blanc Vrais from Celles-sur-Ource

In days gone by Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc grapes were planted together in Celles-sur-Ource without really being differentiated. Consequently, Chardonnay grapes were sometimes mistakenly called Pinot Blancs. Celles-sur-Ource is the source of several of the Champagnes produced entirely or mainly from Pinot Blanc, which is one of the four unusual but allowed grape varieties of the wine region, together with Arbane, Petit Meslier, and Pinot Gris. At 86 ha these account for only 0.25% of the total vineyard surface of the appellation.

So, when a comprehensive study of grapes in the Aube region was published in the year 1900, the term ‘blancs vrais’ was used unofficially to distinguish Pinot Blancs from Chardonnay. The name of this cuvée was chosen as a ‘tip of the hat’ in honor of this rare grape which might be said to be endemic to Celles sur Ource because, out of a total of 90 hectares of Pinot Blancs in the whole of Champagne, 60 of those hectares are in Celles sur Ource.

50 year old vines from Parmailles Vineyard, vinified in stainless steel tanks for a minimum of 36 months on lees, Massale Selection Massal Selection is a French wine growing term for the practice of replanting new vineyards with cuttings from exceptional old vines from the same, or nearby, property. It is what they call the ‘old way’ of propagating vineyards that’s been replaced with vine clone nurseries. However, several state-of-the-art vineyards are changing their planting methods back to Massal Selection due to its long-term benefits of increasing individuality and uniqueness in wine.