How to make top blanc de blancs in ‘the kingdom of Pinot Noir’
Champagne Palmer’s new release puts a spotlight on Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims. Xavier Berdin, the house’s cellar master, explains to db his approach to the unusual blanc de blancs.
Founded in 1947 and historically established in Reims, Champagne Palmer & Co has over 200 hectares of vineyards classified as premier and grand crus in the terroir of Montagne de Reims – sites it terms its ‘grand terroirs’. One of its newest releases, Palmer Blanc de Blancs 2018, is a showcase for Chardonnay in this sub-region that is traditionally a stronghold of Pinot Noir.
The house’s cellar master, Xavier Berdin, has been in post for more than two decades and is in charge of developing Champagne Palmer’s cuvées. He tells db how he approached crafting this new release.
What is your approach to preserving and developing the Palmer house style?
I’m both guardian of the temple and conductor of the orchestra. My role is to look after the wines of yesterday, today and tomorrow. I’m a conductor, because you have to be in the vineyard, in the winery, in the cellar and sometimes in the spotlight; from the birth of the grape to harvesting, vinification, disgorging and marketing. But I’m also a composer, because every year we have to renew the miracle of blending, and in this way preserve the Champagne house style, which I am the guardian of.
Why did you choose Montagne de Reims and Côte de Sézanne for Palmer Blanc de Blancs 2018, releasing this spring?
Champagne Palmer & Co embodies the expertise of the Montagne de Reims and its great terroirs, with an identifiable style characterised by freshness and fullness, where each dimension of the wine is shaped with the best that we have. Our Blanc de Blancs is incomparable, offering singular characteristics, the fruit of a rare expression of the Chardonnays grown on emblematic Montagne de Reims terroirs.
To make our Blanc de Blancs, my predecessors imagined a wine with all the clarity, precision and elegance of the best Chardonnays, but with more richness and dynamism. Adding a small amount of delicate, floral Chardonnay from Côte de Sézanne to our zesty, energetic Chardonnays from the premier cru parcels of Villers-Marmery and Trépail gives us a pure, clean structure with remarkable freshness. This singular blend is an emblematic Palmer signature, and it is this ongoing quest for absolute balance since 1947 that gives this wine its quality and length.
Why do you describe Palmer Blanc de Blancs 2018 as ‘exceptional Chardonnay’?
It is described this way because the Montagne de Reims is the kingdom of the great Pinot Noirs, a powerful and generous grape variety. There are two exceptional islands in this vast sea of Pinot Noirs, and they are located on the hillsides to the east, facing east/south-east: the premiers crus of Trépail and Villers-Marmery. These two treasures of the Montagne de Reims, known as the perles blanches (white pearls), are well sheltered from the westerly winds and produce superb Chardonnays, renowned for their concentration and structure, giving Palmer Blanc de Blancs its unique, emblematic signature style.
What in the 2018 vintage influenced the development of this cuvée? How did it play a role in the final result?
The 2018 vintage in Champagne, coming after a difficult 2017, was exceptional thanks to ideal weather conditions: a rainy winter and a generously watered spring, followed by a hot, dry summer that was prolonged by a magnificent autumn in which the grapes ripened slowly and evenly. The balance between sugar and acidity was remarkable. The ‘cold’ terroirs, which ripened later, enhanced the finesse and complexity of the light wines from the 2018 harvest, bringing freshness and liveliness to the blends.
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