Lilbert-Fils Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut
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The farming culture here is lutte raisonnee, ie sustainable. All of the wines are made in steel vats and all undergo malolactic fermentation. The bottles are riddled by hand in a deep, hand-dug chalk cellar, and the wine is dis- gorged without freezing. The house style emphasizes fine mousse and intense aromas of lime, green apple, hay, and dried apricot. These are beautiful expressions of often intensely mineral Chardonnay, with elegance, subtlety, and gorgeous fruit that is not dressed up by overtly sweet dosages. As Andrew Jefford observes in his book, The New France, "This tiny 4-ha Cramant domaine is the source of some very fine and long-lived Blanc de Blancs made by Georges Lilbert and his son Bertrand. The style is less soft, creamy, and flowery than the Blanc de Blancs of most large houses might leave the drinker expecting: Cramant here has a taut, steely, rigorous quality...." This comes from all three communes where Lilbert farms vines. Typically it is made with two or three consecutive vintages, is aged on its lees for a minimum of three years, and is dosed with 6-8 g/l of sugar (the range for brut is 5-15, and most blanc de blancs get around 11 because most are not aged as long on the lees and can be quite acid). Production averages 1,650 cases each year.