| Score: |
93 WA.
". . . the latest rendition of Delamotte's NV Blanc de Blancs is showing just as well as its immediate predecessor, offering up a classy bouquet of crisp green apple, citrus oil, brioche, toasted nuts and dried white flowers. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fine-boned and elegant, with a crisp but charming core of fruit, lively acids and a precise, saline finish. Since its acquisition in 1988 by Laurent-Perrier, Delamotte has been twinned with Salon, one of Champagne's most prestigious small houses. Delamotte has both gained and lost by the association: gained, in that some of Salon's reputation has tended to rub off on Delamotte, and lost, because Delamotte is frequently portrayed—though not by the house's team, of course—as something of a "second wine" to Salon. Though both are Chardonnay specialists emphasizing their home village Mesnil-sur-Oger, in reality, the styles are quite distinct. Delamotte's wines undergo malolactic fermentation and, in profile, are creamier, more textural and giving, displaying an elegantly autolytic character while eschewing any extremes of Maillard-derived toastiness. Average production amounts to some 750,000 bottles per year, and the estate's emblematic cuvées are its non-vintage and vintage Blanc de Blancs; the latter especially is a very serious wine, and recent renditions are especially good. In fact, the 2008 may be one of the more underrated wines from this superb vintage on the market, and it's arguably this cuvée that suffers the most by Delamotte's position in Salon's shadow. These wines age well, and old non-vintage Delamotte can be a great bargain in the auction or brokerage market. I'm currently finishing up a case from the early 1980s from my cellar in Burgundy, and every bottle has been terrific." Wine Advocate Interim, Aug 2019 |