france: champagne
Champagne Diebolt-Vallois, Cramant
Jacques Diebolt’s family came to the Côte des Blancs from Alsace in the nineteenth century. With his wife, Nadia Vallois, and now with his son and daughter, he owns nearly 19 hectares of Chardonnay vines, divided between Cuis, a 95% Echelle premier cru village (for white grapes), the grand cru (100% Echelle) village of Cramant, and small parcels in Epernay and Chouilly. Cramant’s Chardonnay is round, elegant and creamy, and Jacques Diebolt knows how to make use of these characteristics to create an elegant champagne which is amazing for its consistency year after year. For Jacques Diebolt, winemaking is his passion; he is passionately committed to the idea that champagne is first and foremost a wine and that good winemaking starts in the vineyards. A large percentage of his 135,000 bottle annual production goes to top restaurants in France.
The Wines
- Cuvée Prestige: From his small vineyard, Diebolt culls out his oldest and best vines (40-65 years old) in order to make his Cuvée Prestige: the vines for the Cuvée Prestige are only from Cramant, so this is a 100% grand cru non-vintage Champagne. All the wines for the Cuvée Prestige go through the malolactic fermentation. The use of foudre for aging allows for a superior aromatic evolution without any hint of wood taste. The wine is seamless with a good balance between finesse, vinosity and freshness.
- Vintage Cuvée "Fleur de Passion": With the Fleur de Passion, Diebolt returns to the traditional methods and practices of his grandfather. The grapes come from seven or eight plots of old vines planted on hillsides — especially the fields known as Les Buzons — in the village of Cramant (village classified 100% grand cru). These vines are all over 40 years old and many of them are 60 years old or more. One hundred percent of this cuvée is both vinified and aged in old wooden barrels. From 1997 on, Diebolt decided to block the malo in order to keep a high level of acidity. The aging is exceptionally 'natural:' it is racked once, in December, after the alcoholic fermentation, and then left undisturbed until it is bottled; there is no bâtonnage, no cold stabilization, and no filtration. This is one of the great wines in Champagne-- unbelievable minerality, pure 'race', incredible length.
- NV Blanc de Blancs : The NV Blanc de Blancs is a rich, medium-bodied champagne with a firm structure. The grapes are only from grand cru and premier cru vines, two-thirds from Cuis and the rest from Cramant and Epernay. This wine ferments in thermostatically-controlled vats.
- Millésime 2002 : The current Millésime 2002 is made from vineyards in Cuis and Chouilly as well as from fruit from some parcels in Epernay that Diebolt acquired a few years ago. It is in the usual Diebolt style: creamy and elegant.
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