Blanc de Noirs is white Champagne made from the juice of black-skinned grapes. The term Blanc de Noirs means literally 'white of blacks', and is effectively the opposite of Blanc de Blancs. The grapes in question are of course the only two black-skinned grapes permitted for use in Champagne wines: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
The production of white wines from black grapes might seem unusual to the uninitiated, but it is entirely normal in Champagne. In fact, the vast majority of Champagne is made from a combination of black-skinned grapes and light-skinned grapes – almost always Chardonnay, but occasionally Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and the little-known obscurities Petit Meslier and Arbane. By pressing the grapes very lightly, and not squeezing pigments out of the skins, the juice remains clear and almost entirely colorless.
Blanc de Noirs Champagnes tend to come from the region's more southerly vineyards, where the terroir is better suited to the black-skinned varieties than further north.
Perhaps the most notable Blanc de Noirs wines are Krug's Clos d'Ambonnay and Bollinger's Vieilles Vignes Francaises. These are two of the most expensive Champagnes ever produced. The former is made from Pinot Noir vines grown in a walled 1-acre vineyard in the village of Ambonnay (hence the name). The latter, often known by its abbreviated name 'VVF', is made from ungrafted, pre-phylloxera Pinot Noir vines. These vines grow in two, tiny walled vineyards – the Chaudes Terres and the Clos Saint-Jacques. There was once a third vineyard, the Croix Rouge, but this finally fell prey to phylloxera in 2005.
A great deal of interest has been paid to the wines of Cedric Bouchard - one of a new generation of dynamic (and biodynamic) 'Grower Champagne' producers. Bouchard's Blanc de Noirs wines include "Inflorescence Val-Vilaine", "Inflorescence La Parcelle" and "Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules".
