CHAMPAGNE BLANC DE NOIRS BRUT

Description & Press Reviews:
Wine Style: Champagne

This Champagne is made by Philippe Secondé who is a descendant of the famous Champagne House of Edmond Barnaut in Bouzy, founded in 1874. Bouzy is famous for Pinot Noir of enormous personality, ripeness and richness and is one of the top Champagne vineyards - you'll find the world's most famous Champagnes grow their grapes in Bouzy – Taittinger, Veuve Cliquot, Moet and Chandon. Unlike these Champagnes you are not paying for the name. Philippe's Champagnes - Champagne Secondé-Collard - are totally exclusive to Bordeaux-Undiscovered, you won't be able to find them any where else in the UK.

Blanc de Noir Champagne is made purely from red grapes as opposed to Blanc de Blanc which is made from white grapes. It's opulent, rich and perfectly balanced and Philippe's vineyards in Bouzy are famous for it. This is a Champagne that conserves the freshness, acidity and raciness from the powerful young vines it's made from. It is a good golden colour with fine bubbles and produces scents of spices, wheat, fresh flowers, plums and white fruits. In the mouth it is full bodied, well balanced with a long, dry lingering aftertaste.

One taste of a Champagne like the Blanc de Noirs Brut and you think immediately about what you'd serve with it. It's superb with food, for instance with salmon, seafood, pheasant, beef or any cream based soup.

Tara O'Leary - Wine Passionista
My top wines of the tasting were the Champagne Barnaut Seconde-Collard Blanc de Noirs Brut NV which is priced at an absolute bargain for the complexity and structure and the Fleur de Luze, 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux, that lacked arrow-sharp acidity and had a lovely crisp, light personality alongside exciting depth of character.

 J M Darkly - Wine Woman & Song
Champagne, darkly: Blanc de Noirs
One of my favourites is from Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vigne NV, but other excellent Blanc de Noirs are Pommery Wintertime and the very special vintage Bollinger, Ay Vieilles Vignes Francaises Blanc de Noirs.

One enjoyed recently is 100% Pinot Noir Secondé-Collard Blanc de Noirs Brut NV. It has the nose of a much more expensive Champagne, although one third the price of the Egly-Ouriet, with crunchy biscuity characters.

Andrew Barrow - Spittoon
This proved the star of the tasting if the conversation was anything to go by, but also view the mentions on Gastonomy Domaine "a lovely toasty nose and a crazily low price"

The Daily Mail: Think Champers, and you think the big name brands that racing drivers spray over each other. But one of the key benefits of visiting the Champagne region is to get out and about and see the smaller producers whose bubbly is often as good - and considerably cheaper.

There are dozens, not least Edmond BARNAUT in the splendidly named village of BOUZY, east of Epernay.

The Wine Advocate: Blanc de Noirs: floral on the palate with an expressive scent and fruity heart. Finely textured, silky,with a remarkable clearness and presentation of very pleasant purified style. A long and pure finale.

Clive Platman, The Birmingham Post, Food & Drink
A full-blown, powerful driven Pinot from a top grower in Bouzy with flavours of brioche, raspberry, chocolate and breadcrumbs, shot through with keen minerality. Try too the Grande Reserve and Vintage 1998.

Clive Platman Birmingham Plus
Whilst a “Blanc de Blancs” Champagne will be exclusively Chardonnay, a Blanc de Noirs can be a combination of the two black varieties, Pinots Meunier and Noir. Chardonnay gives structure and finesse, whereas Pinot Noir provides richness and power. Pinot Meunier, the least well-regarded, offers red fruits and is faster maturing. It is therefore used as the backbone of cheaper supermarket blends.

Secondé-Collard are growers in Bouzy, on the south-east corner of the Montagne de Reims, which is famous for Pinot Noir. This cuvee is from a Grand Cru vineyard, meaning it is 100% Pinot Noir, as no Pinot Meunier vineyards qualify for Grand Cru status.

As expected, this was full and rich, but had an off-putting sulphurous note. Nevertheless, there was a minerally fresh quality as the wine broadened on the palate to give raspberry and chocolate flavours.

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