Blanc de Blancs Brut

This is a vintage Blanc de Blancs from Palmer & Co, drawn from the 1996 harvest in Champagne and presented in magnum format. As a Blanc de Blancs, it is made entirely from Chardonnay, the style that tends to show the greatest precision and finesse among Champagnes, particularly when given extended time to develop.

The 1996 vintage is well regarded in Champagne, noted for a combination of ripeness and high natural acidity. That structure gave the better wines of the year considerable capacity for ageing, and a Chardonnay-based Champagne of this origin and age would now be showing mature, tertiary character rather than the freshness of youth. With nearly three decades behind it, this is firmly a bottle for the collector or for those who appreciate older Champagne, and its showing will depend heavily on storage and provenance. The magnum format is generally held to favour slow, steady development, which is one reason larger bottles are often sought for wines intended to age.

At 350 euros for a 1.5 litre bottle, the price reflects a vintage Blanc de Blancs of serious age in a desirable format, rather than a current release. For a mature 1996 Champagne in magnum, it sits within a reasonable range for the type.

Serve well chilled, though not so cold that the development is muted, ideally around 10 to 12 degrees. Older Champagne of this kind benefits from careful handling, and some sediment may be present. Given its maturity, it is best approached as a wine to open and enjoy now rather than to hold further.