🍾 Mercier Blanc de Noirs

Mercier Blanc de Noirs is a non-vintage white Champagne from the house Mercier in Épernay (Marne).

According to the house, Blanc de Noirs is the house's iconic cuvée, made only from black grapes, Pinot Noir and Meunier.

The house Mercier was founded in 1858 in Épernay by Eugène Mercier; it is known for its 18 km of cellars and its giant barrel.

The boundaries of the Champagne area were set by a law of 6 May 1919: parts of the Marne, Aube, Aisne, Haute-Marne and Seine-et-Marne departments. The designation’s specification allows seven grape varieties, dominated by Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; grapes are picked as whole bunches, that is by hand, and the yield is limited to 10,400 kg per hectare.

According to the Comité Champagne, Champagne is served chilled to 8–10 °C, and bottles are kept in the dark at a steady 10–15 °C, without vibration. An opened bottle is best closed with a sparkling-wine stopper and kept cold.

It is sold under the protected designation of origin Champagne: the bubbles come only from a second fermentation in the bottle, and the wine is aged for at least 15 months before sale (36 for vintage). Check the label for the sugar term (brut, extra brut and so on): the house does not state it on the wine's page.

Why it matters to you. No year on the label means it is not a vintage wine: the house may blend wines from different harvests. Blanc de noirs on the label means a white wine made from black grapes. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.