Our Growers:

Jacques Diebolt's family came to the Cote des Blancs from Alsace in the nineteenth century. With his wife, Nadia Vallois and now with his son and daughter, he owns nearly 19 hectares of Chardonnay vines, divided between Cuis, a 95% Échelle Premier Cru village (for white grapes), the Grand Cru (100% Échelle) village of Cramant, and small parcels in Epernay and Chouilly. Cramant's Chardonnay is round, elegant and creamy and Jacques Diebolt knows how to make use of these characteristics to create an elegant champagne which is amazing for its consistency year after year. For Jacques Diebolt, winemaking is his passion; he is passionately committed to the idea that champagne is first and foremost a wine and that good winemaking starts in the vineyards. A large percentage of his 135,000 bottle annual production goes to top restaurants in France.

From his small vineyard, Diebolt culls out his oldest and best vines (40-65 years old) in order to make his Cuvée Prestige: the vines for the Cuvée Prestige are only from Cramant, so this is a 100% Grand Cru non-vintage Champagne. The current assemblage consists of three years: 38% 2002 Cramant vinified and aged in big barrels, 14.7% 2003 Cramant aged for 1 year in a very old 42,000-liter oak foudre and 48.6% 2004 Cramant

aged for 2 years in a very old 42,000-liter oak foudre. All the wines for the Cuvée Prestige go through the malolactic fermentation. The use of foudre for aging seems to have allowed for a superior aromatic evolution without any hint of wood taste. The wine is seamless with a good balance between finesse, vinosity and freshness.

Vintage Cuvée "Fleur de Passion": The vines for this cuvée are entirely from Cramant in its finest sector, a tiny parcel called "Les Piétons" which has the best exposition and the oldest vines (45-60 years old). One hundred percent of this cuvée is both vinified and aged in small oak barrels, none of them new. From 1997 on, Diebolt decided to block the malo in order to keep a high level of acidity. The aging is exceptionally 'natural:' it is racked once, in December, after the alcoholic fermentation, and then left undisturbed until it is bottled; there is no bâtonnage, no cold stabilization, and no filtration. This is one of the great wines in Champagne-- unbelievable minerality, pure “race”, incredible length. The next Fleur de Passion, the 2002, will be ready for sale in spring of 2008.

The NV Blanc de Blancs is a rich, medium-bodied champagne with a firm structure. The grapes are only from grand cru and premier cru vines, two-thirds from Cuis and the rest from Cramant and Epernay. The current assemblage is 30% from the 2004 harvest and the rest from the 2005 harvest. It is brisk and pure but creamy. This is a magnificent summer champagne and would accompany a grilled trout well. Wine & Spirits (December 2007) gives this wine 94 points: "This manages to be vinous yet completely Champagne, intensely concentrated and weightless. Long and gracious, this is a beautiful chardonnay built out of light smokiness, fresh floral scents of chamomile, firm minerality and a lot of bubble. A case will go fast."

The current millésime is 2002 and is delicate and clean. It is in the usual Diebolt style: creamy and elegant. Wine & Spirits (December 2007) gives it 94 points: "This is pure Cote des Blancs Champagne, beautifully clean and fresh. The fruit is compact in its youthful vigor, a slip of a wine that commands attention with tremendously concentrated lemon and bright apple fruit. It offers plenty of charm if you drink it now, and exceptional balance for aging."

Website: www.diebolt-vallois.com