Blanc de Blancs: Champagne from Chardonnay only
Blanc de Blancs means “white from whites” in French: it is a Champagne made only from light-skinned grapes, in practice almost always from Chardonnay alone. Such a Champagne is usually lighter and crisper than wines that include Pinot Noir and Meunier. Most Chardonnay grows on the Côte des Blancs, a band of slopes where chalk lies just below the surface.
What does Blanc de Blancs mean?
Blanc de Blancs (pronounced blahn duh BLAHN) is a Champagne made only from white grapes, without a drop of juice from dark grapes.
The Comité Champagne, the organisation of growers and Champagne houses, defines Blanc de Blancs as a wine containing no dark-skinned variety. Its basis is Chardonnay, and alongside it the appellation rules permit rare light-skinned varieties, including Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Arbane and Petit Meslier. In practice, the vast majority of Blanc de Blancs are pure Chardonnay; the five rare varieties permitted in Champagne together cover around 0.3% of the vineyards.
The term is optional. A Champagne label must state the sugar level, the volume and the producer's name, but the style of the cuvée (pronounced koo-VAY), including Blanc de Blancs, is listed by the Comité among the information the producer may add voluntarily. If the words do appear, however, the wine must meet the definition.
The opposite is blanc de noirs (pronounced blahn duh NWAR), a white Champagne made only from dark grapes: Pinot Noir and Meunier. Most Champagnes, however, are blends of three varieties, as we describe in the article Champagne grape varieties.
Where does the Chardonnay for Blanc de Blancs come from?
Above all from the Côte des Blancs (pronounced koht day BLAHN), a band of slopes running perpendicular to the Marne Valley, where Chardonnay is the dominant variety.
Chardonnay covers 32% of Champagne's vineyards, that is, just under 11,000 of the 34,200 ha in production (Comité Champagne data for 2025). The Comité calls it the king of the Côte des Blancs: a vigorous, early-ripening variety that does especially well where chalk lies close to the surface. The very name Côte des Blancs comes from the white variety that covers these slopes.
The grand cru villages here (pronounced grahn KREW) include Avize (pronounced a-VEEZ), Cramant (pronounced kra-MAHN), Chouilly (pronounced shoo-YEE), Oger (pronounced oh-zhay) and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (pronounced luh may-neel syoor oh-zhay). Chardonnay grows throughout the region, however, so many houses blend wines from several zones. Ruinart (pronounced rwee-NAR) for its Blanc de Blancs (pronounced blahn duh BLAHN) takes Chardonnay from 25-30 crus, mainly from the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims (pronounced mohn-TAN-yuh duh RANS), but also from the Sézannais and the Vesle valley. We explain what the words grand cru and premier cru (pronounced pruh-MYAY KREW) on the label mean, we explain in the article grand cru and premier cru in Champagne.
What does Blanc de Blancs taste like?
Light and crisp: citrus, white flowers, pronounced acidity and a salty touch, and with age nuts, honey and buttery brioche.
The Comité Champagne describes Blanc de Blancs as wines “full of finesse”, with a light, airy taste. On the nose there are flowers (hawthorn, honeysuckle, lime blossom, acacia), citrus (grapefruit, lemon), apple, pear, sometimes exotic notes and mint. There is often an impression of minerality: a scent of flint, chalk or seashell, and on the palate a combination of acidity and saltiness. With age, Blanc de Blancs takes on a creamy texture and notes of dried fruit, hazelnut, almond, honey and wax, while ageing on the lees adds brioche, butter and toast.
This natural acidity is what makes Blanc de Blancs age well. The Comité says plainly of Chardonnay that it is a variety ideal for long ageing.
Which Blanc de Blancs are worth knowing?
From the non-vintage wines of houses and cooperatives, through vintages, to single-plot wines such as Krug Clos du Mesnil (pronounced kloh doo meh-NEEL) or Salon (pronounced sa-lon).
To start with: non-vintage wines
Ruinart, a house in Reims (pronounced rans), whose hallmark is Chardonnay, makes its Blanc de Blancs with 20-30% reserve wines from several vintages and a dosage of 7 g/l. De Saint Gall (pronounced de san gal), the brand of Union Champagne, a union of cooperatives in Avize, has a Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru from the grand cru villages of the Côte des Blancs in its range. Lanson also makes its own Blanc de Blancs (pronounced lahn-son).
A vintage and a wine with no dosage
Deutz (pronounced duhts) from Aÿ (pronounced ah-EE) makes its Blanc de Blancs as a vintage. The biodynamic grower Augustin (pronounced oh-gew-stan) releases Cuvée CXVI, a Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay which, according to Gault&Millau, is a Brut Nature (pronounced broot na-TEWR), that is, with no added sugar.
One village, one plot
At the top are wines from a single place. Krug makes Clos du Mesnil from a 1.84 ha plot in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, enclosed by a wall since 1698, and keeps each vintage in the cellar for more than ten years. From the same village comes Salon, a house that makes a single wine: a vintage Chardonnay from Le Mesnil (pronounced luh may-neel), only in great years and after an average of ten years in the cellar. In the whole of the 20th century, 37 vintages of Salon were made. We bring in Salon to order.
The full ladder, from premier cru Blanc de Blancs to single plots, can be found in the ranking Blanc de Blancs.
Blanc de Blancs or a regular Brut: which to choose?
Blanc de Blancs for an aperitif and with fish or seafood; a three-variety blend for more substantial dishes.
The Comité Champagne recommends non-vintage Blanc de Blancs as an aperitif, alongside non-vintage Brut, and gives scallop ceviche as an example of a successful pairing. The lightness and acidity of this style go well with oysters, raw fish, sushi and dishes with lemon butter. With roast poultry, charcuterie or mushrooms, a Champagne with Pinot Noir, which gives more body, works better.
