While a pronouncedly stony but also rather tart and acrid “regular” Lenoble blanc de blancs from this vintage was underwhelming (as was a rather diffuse, slightly dank non-vintage version), the 2006 Brut Blancs de Blancs Cuvee Gentilhomme – from what they consider their prime parcels, and treated around 20% to barrique-maturation – made a far more interesting and satisfying impression. Lemon, grapefruit, apple and white peach are intriguingly tinged with green tea as well as with pronouncedly piquant fruit pit. Welcome, saliva-liberating salinity and generous sheer juiciness combine to keep this from seeming too austere, even at a mere three grams of residual sugar. There is a combination of graininess – almost grit – with finishing tang, piquancy and grip that I certainly wouldn’t characterized as refined or nuanced. But this should prove worth employing at table over the next couple of years.- David Schildknecht (11/2013)
Finely balanced, with rich accents of toasted almond, biscuit, smoke and spun honey meshed with lemon curd, golden currant, white peach and stony mineral notes. Vivid acidity and a lively bead lead to the firm, floral finish. Drink now through 2026.-AN
(all Chouilly fruit; L907): Vivid yellow. Complex, mineral-accented bouquet evokes fresh citrus fruits, pear skin, honeysuckle and iodine, plus a hint of candied ginger. Racy and pure, offering powerful citrus pith and mineral flavors and deeper notes of nectarine and fig in the mid-palate. Finishes incisive and spicy, with excellent energy and lingering mineral and smoke notes.-JR
Producer: Lenoble, AR
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Champagne Blend
Country: France
Region: Champagne
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