Thanks to Xiao P for sharing this cool Blanc de Blancs & nice photos!

Philipponnat Grand Blanc Millesime 2004 Brut Champagne (750ml)

100% Chardonnay: 70% from Grands Crus & Premiers Crus of the Côte des Blancs; 15% from Trépail & another 15% from young Chardonnay vines in the Clos des Goisses.

Partial fermentation in oak barriques; partial malo.

Disgorged in Aug 2010

Dosage: 5 g/l

Tasted in mid Aug, 2013

Well chilled. Served upon uncorking.

Pale lemony robe. Vigorous effervescence.

Initiallly, the nose is quite restrained, with cool mineral finesse and just a hint of white flowers. The palate is taut & focused, with stony minerality overwhelming fruit flavors ( white fruit & citrus). Racy & pure. What a classic example of taut, mineral-driven style of Blanc de Blancs!

With more aeration & as it loses the initial chill, the bouquet exudes charm of crystalline citrus, with a slightly unctuous undertone, which could be attributable to fermentation of part of the base wines in oak barriques. The attack & mid palate become sleek & mouthfilling, with some unctuousness, too. Yet the finale acquires even more pronounced mineral austerity together with some tannic grip! (I recall an interview of Charles Philipponnat saying in recent years they age the wine (to be employed for dosage) in oak barriques to get some tannic bites for their champagne.)

Third pour (around 1 hour after uncorking). The wine heads back to the mineral-dominant scene, while revealing new facets: intriguing scents of Virginia tobacco, smoke and a merest hint of peat.

With classic mineral austerity, restrained poise & subtle details, this is an intellectual bubbly that would surely appeal to serious lovers of Champagne.

P.S.

Philipponnat Grand Blanc 05: showy opulence  

Thanks to Xiao P’s sharing, we tasted Grand Blanc 04's sibling 05 one week earlier. Very interesting to compare the two vintage characteristics. The Grand Blanc is a highly successful 05, embracing all the virtues of the vintage (ripeness, richness), while avoiding any tricky problem of the same year. I imagine the generous fruitiness, creamy opulence & showy expression of Grand Blanc 05 would make it a crowd pleaser. Yet personally, I still prefer the restrained poise & mineral austerity of Grand Blanc 04, and I’m of the belief that the more restrained, lighter balanced 04 would stay alive even longer (to achieve even greater complexities) than its younger, yet fatter sibling 05.

Of course, there is no denial of the very high quality in Grand Blanc 05, which makes a lot of pleasure for short term drinking. My preference is more on style than on quality.