Besserat de Bellefon Triple B Brut Nature 2015
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Satin, yellow copper in color . Fresh scents of lemon, mandarin, cinnamon, candied fruits and saline. Straightforward and pure with mineral notes of mineral along with fresh grape.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Green apples, pears, dried lemons and praline on the nose with almond pastries. Fresh and crisp, with a medium body and medium bubbles. Refreshing and dry. 50% pinot noir, 30% meunier and 20% chardonnay.
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Wine Enthusiast
Bone dry, this Champagne is tightly crisp, with green-apple fruit alongside the fresh-squeezed lemon. The wine's texture and minerality will allow it to age further in bottle. Drink from 2022. Organic.
Besserat de Bellefon was founded in Ay in 1843 by Edmond Besserat, who originally hailed from Hautvillers. Over the years he became recognized for his skill in crafting exceptional cuvées that he supplied to the greatest hotels, restaurants and wine merchants of the day. Following in Edmond's footsteps, future generations continued the business. His grandsons, Victor and Edmond, became as passionate as their forebear about work well done and a commitment to excellence and quality. With complementary talents (one was an outstanding technician, the other a highly accomplished taster) they worked together in complete harmony. They were committed to developing Besserat de Bellefon’s renown and prestige. In 1920 Edmond married Yvonne de Méric de Bellefon, daughter of a noble Champagne family, giving the House a family crest, and the Besserat de Bellefon legend was born.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’