NV Delamotte Brut
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Tasting notes
From the heart of La Côte de Blancs, the NV Champagne Brut is based on the 2021 vintage and features a classic blend of 60% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and the remainder Meunier grown on chalky soils at different orientations and altitudes. A brilliant pale yellow hue, it’s very pretty on the nose, with inviting aromas of green apples, pears, and citrus. The 2021 vintage offers good freshness and bright acidity, along with nice tension. Open and approachable, with notes of fresh flowers and citrus blossoms as well as the mouthwatering crispness of Pinot Noir, it has a lively, fine mousse, a pithy, chalky texture, and a clean, powdery finish. It’s ready to enjoy as an aperitif now and will drink well over the next 10 years. The sister house to Salon, Delamotte owns 10 hectares of vineyards in Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Cramant, and Avize. They purchase grapes from 80 hectares, mostly Chardonnay from Oiry and Chouilly, as well as some Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims in Bouzy, Ambonnay, and Tours-sur-Marne. A small amount of Meunier is purchased from around Epernay. When Salon does not produce a vintage wine, those parcels are used in the production of Delamotte bottlings. Like Salon, the wines are fermented and matured entirely in stainless steel; however, malolactic fermentation is achieved on a case-by-case basis.
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William Kelley, Wine Advocate
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The new release of the NV Brut, based on the 2019 vintage and with 15% reserve wines from 2018 and 2017, is the only wine in Delamotte’s range (except for the rosé, of course) that features some red grapes. Informed by a high-maturity vintage, it is rich and inviting, opening from the glass with scents of peach, cherry and toasted bread. Medium to full-bodied and ample, with a sweet core of fruit, it is demonstrative out of the gates. However, in the context of the concentrated base vintage, I wonder if it fully captures all the quality that could be theirs. It was disgorged in early 2023 with eight grams per liter dosage.
A very creamy and delicious champagne with toasted and dried-apple notes. Strawberry as well. It's medium-bodied with a lovely, polished and creamy texture. 60% chardonnay, pinot noir 30% and 10% pinot meunier. 3 years in the bottle. 7.5g/L dosage. Drink now.
En-magnum. Base vintage 2018. 95% grand cru. 60% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Meunier. 36 months on lees, disgorged April 2022. Dosage 8 g/l. 50% of the Delamotte production. Fresh, clean, lemon zest/sherbet on the nose. Tight and precise on the palate with a fine, lengthy finish. Just a tad bitter at the end but a classy entry point to the Delamotte range. (AWH)