Delamotte Brut NV (75cl)

Delamotte Brut NV (75cl)

Tasting Notes:
Delamotte Brut NV is the house's take on the 'classic' non-vintage Champagne.
 
The relatively high proportion of Chardonnay (50%) befits a specialist Blanc de Blancs house and is crucial to the defining elegance of the Delamotte house style.
 
For softness and richness, Delamotte blends in a proportion of Pinot Noir (30%) and fruit-forward Pinot Meunier (20%), in the tradition of Champagne non-vintage cuvées. The Chardonnay grapes are sourced from grand cru vineyards in Champagne's top villages of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize and Oger. The Pinot Noir grapes are also from grand cruvineyards in Bouzy, Tours-sur-Marne and Ambonnay. The Pinot Meunier grapes are sourced from high quality vineyards in the Marne. 
 
Delamotte Brut NV is bottle-aged on its lees for 3 years, a key factor to its style and quality - it is worth noting that most Brut NV Champagnes spend just 15 months on the lees, the legal minimum in Champagne.
 
Winemaking:
Champagne Delamotte is located in the exalted village of Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of only seventeen Champagne villages to enjoy 100% Grand Cru status, and one of only 6 such villages in the Côte des Blancs region of Champagne. Chardonnay is the only grape variety grown in Le Mesnil, whose grapes are considered by many to be the highest in quality of the entire Côte des Blancs. This is partly due to soil composition in the vineyards, comprising layered sediment and chalk, fundamental to Delamotte's mineral style, finesse and delicacy.
 
Champagne Delamotte's style philosophy is based on the small-scale. Quality is achieved by working with small growers and specific vineyards with their own unique terroirs, bringing complexity and character to Delamotte's champagnes. Growers are long-term partners who understand Delamotte's quality and style. Fruit is always of the highest quality. Delamotte's approach requires that vineyard work be carried out by hand. All grapes are picked and then sorted by hand by Delamotte's experienced staff. A combination of traditional and modern vinification techniques are employed to maximise quality, including the use of gentle Willmes presses. Extended ageing is crucial to the quality and style of Delamotte's Chardonnay-based champagnes.
 
Background Information:
Champagne Delamotte is not only one of the oldest champagne houses, but also, arguably, one of the most refined in style and pedigree.
 
Established in 1760 in the prestigious village of Le Mesnil, Champagne Delamotte is Chardonnay's most dedicated advocate. Indeed, most of Delamotte's vineyards are planted with Chardonnay, all of which enjoy the exalted grand cru status common to the very best Champagnes.
 
Alongside the elegant Delamotte Brut NV (a blend with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier but Chardonnay-dominant nonetheless) and delicate, strawberry-scented rosé, the Blanc de Blancs cuvées (non-vintage and vintage) are the stars of the show, both tantalisingly rich yet delicate. This is hardly surprising, considering Delamotte's status as sister house of the legendary Salon Champagne, perhaps the world's finest and rarest Blanc de Blancs Champagne, produced only in exceptional vintages
 
Champagne Delamotte's range of Champagnes aims to showcase the unique terroir of Grand Cru-rated village Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Sister-house of the highly-prized Champagne Salon, Delamotte shares Salon's pursuit of sophistication and elegance, as well as its focus on the Chardonnay grape. The unremitting quality of Delamotte's champagnes is due in part to its small-scale approach, limiting quantity to just 50,000 cases per year.