The other evening I opened a bottle of bubbly to drink with friends. It was Champagne, from a small, reputable producer named Duval-Leroy. The wine was delicious - fresh, appley, hints of brioche. On the front label, the wine said, Blanc de Chardonnay...

My friend, a chef and quite knowledgeable about wine, said, "Blanc de Chardonnay? I've never seen that on a bottle of Champagne before." I realized that I, too, had never seen that on a bottle of Champagne. I surmised that Duval-Leroy just wanted to be more specific on the label than as to write Blanc de Blancs. (Blanc de Blancs means "the white of the whites" and is a style of Champagne that is produced with the noble chardonnay grape only, while many other styles are made with a blend of red & white grapes- pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay). There exist many Prestige Cuvees that are made entirely from chardonnay and are labeled Blanc de Blancs. Champagne Salon, who makes wine only in the best vintages, is a Blanc de Blancs. Champagne Taittinger's top wine- the vintage only Comtes de Champagne, is also a Blanc de Blancs. There are many others, and not all are vintage cuvees.

Still, I am curious about Duval-Leroy's decision to change the name of the style of the wine and to put the grape variety on the label. It might not seem like a big change, but in Champagne, one of the most historic and fabled of the world's great wine regions, this is a transformation.

Christie,
If Blanc de Blancs is plural, then doesn't it imply that several different white grapes inc. Chardonnay can be used to produce it ?

I would bet that the labeling is for the U.S. market only. This is a question for Jack Jelenko the U.S. Rep of Duval-Leroy and I wonder if he thinks this is a good idea. While I am not a wine snob, I do think this is a blunder by the marketing dept. It should say "Chardonnay", instead of Blanc de...