Didier Lapie Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne (Previously $40)

If you are a champagne enthusiast looking for something slightly off the beaten path, you should try this. It is made from 100% Meunier (not from the Marne Valley but the Montagne de Reims!) and is full of beautiful, rich tropical fruits and spice on the nose with a pure clean fruit profile and chalky minerals. The finish is so long! The quality here for under $30 is quite impressive.

This is a really good Champagne that offers a lot of pleasure for this price. The nose has interesting yeast and savory aromas. In the mouth, it is full bodied and round. It is balanced out with a wonderful clean and crisp finish. Refreshing and delicious, the Didier Lapie Blanc de Noirs will drink well alone or with food.

I just tasted this lush champagne again and it confirmed my previous thoughts. If you like a more fruit forward style of champagne, this is a good one to try. Normally 100% Pinot Meunier champagnes are not my thing. When I mention Pinot Meunier to customers I'm often met with blank stares, yet it is one the three noble grapes of Champagne. A mutation of Pinot Noir, Meunier is easier to grow that its counterparts, ripens early, and accounts for over 40% of plantings in Champagne. Meunier adds acidity, aromatics, and fruit flavors to the blend. As a consequence, many Meunier champagnes are more fruit forward in style and risk overshadowing the other characteristics that are expected in fine champagne. The Didier Lapie Blanc de Noirs NV, however, offers a Meunier champagne with racy acidity that balances out the fruitiness of the Meunier and complex fresh sourdough and toasty notes from aging on the lees for five years. The autolytic character is superb. Crisp acidity, citrus, peach, toasted almonds, nectarine, grapefruit, juicy baked apples with brown sugar, melon, coconut, and a long rich lemon cream finish coats your mouth with happiness. As it opens up in the glass, the more depth and breadth it displays. And it's only $30! Yes, Pangloss, we do live in the best of all possible worlds.

If you're stuck on what to pair some charcuterie with, Didier Lapie BdN of 100% Meunier is your new best friend. The nose exudes fresh cherries, and the palate is zesty, lively, and delicately structured. It almost craves something salty and meaty. 3 years on the lees and all stainless steel really allows you to experience the grape and terroir, and it's quite enjoyable.

This 100% Meunier champagne from Didier Lapie shows the snappy acidity that comes naturally from the cold climate in Pierry, but it has so much more to offer. After 5 plus years on the lees, this Blanc de Noirs is full of buttered sourdough toast, and has a luxuriously velvety texture. A profusion of fresh, ripe apple flavors are nicely balanced by the vibrant acidity, as well as a touch of rich, savory almonds and brown butter. A complex, elegant bottle priced for everyday celebrations!

The Didier Lapie Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne shows off the chalky, extra cold climate of Pierry, and is one of the best deals in our stock. The special thing for me is the quality of the pearly bead of bubbles and the very fresh, long finish. Meunier is known for its tarte tatin fruit, and this certainly has it, but the clean, zippy back end reminds me much more of a blanc de blancs, thanks to the cold climate of this sub-region. At this price, it shouldn’t be missed!