Corrupt Review: Chandon Reserve Blanc de BlancsIt Sparkles. It's American. That's Pretty Rare Right Now.
If this were a more impressive publication or time in American history, I would keep this sexist thought to myself: Sparkling wine is for women¹. I don’t mean that men can’t like sparkling wine. I personally enjoy it. But not nearly as much as women do. Sparkling wine is the opposite of pornography. I knew Domaine Chandon’s Reserve Blanc de Blancs was good when I was drinking it over dinner with my lovely wife Cassandra. Half of the bottle was gone, and she looked at me and smiled. Then she not only said the following out loud but also asked me to write it down for this review: “One thing I like about this wine is the burps. You get to taste it twice. The burps taste good.” They indeed did. I also know the sparkling wine was good because it said so right on the label:
In fact, the phrase “exceptional sparkling wine” is written three times on the label. If I had “exceptional lover” tattooed in three places on my body, dates would have packed up and gone home long before finding the second one. Even Donald Trump’s sparkling wine label doesn’t have “EXCEPTIONAL SPARKLING WINE” on it.
Why is Domaine Chandon so cocky? Because it was built in Napa in 1973 by Moët² & Chandon³, one of the largest and most famous Champagne⁴ houses in the world. Moët was created in 1743, produces Dom Perignon, and has been regaled in song from Richard Strauss to Nicki⁵ Minaj⁶. It’s the “M” in LVMH⁷, the company that has owned it since 1987. So Moët is Louis Vuitton arrogant. But it’s also Louis Vuitton fancy femme. This particular wine I drank is more femme than most. Because Domaine Chandon’s Reserve Blanc de Blancs⁸, which sells for $32, is made by the winery’s French female winemaker, Pauline Lhote, and an all-female winemaking team.
Besides the tasty burps, Cassandra liked the Domaine Chandon’s Reserve Blanc de Blancs because it is crisp and has tiny bubbles, which is something you’re supposed to admire in a sparkling wine. Size does matter.  But I am a simple man easily confused by bubbles. And I too enjoyed this wine, though my simple tastes tend to like that yeasty, brioche, malty flavor that this one didn’t have, instead leaning toward crisp acidity. I give you this honest assessment because they only sent me one free bottle instead of a whole case. But that just means you should eat oysters or smoked salmon with this. And maybe do it in Nashville with your wedding party. 1 Yes, I know: Winston Churchill, Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte, King Louis XV, Tsar Alexander II, Jay-Z, James Bond, Don Ho, championship locker rooms. But this:
2 Shockingly, the “t” isn’t silent despite basic French language rules, because founder Claude Moët’s family had Dutch heritage. 3 Moët Chandon also built sparkling wineries in Argentina (1959), Brazil (1973), Australia (1986), China (2013), and India (2014). So the U.S. shouldn’t feel so special. 4 Champagne is just sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. You can’t call sparkling wine “champagne” unless it’s from there. As my father cleverly exploited in an ad in the 1970s.  5 Strauss: “Welchen Champagner? befehlen Sie selber!/ Moët-Chandon, halb herb und halb süss - der war es bei meiner Verlobung!” 6 She pronounces it correctly. 7 Louis Vuitton, Moët, Hennessy 8 “Blanc de Blancs” translated to English is “white from whites,” which sounds way sketchier. It means the wine is made from only chardonnay instead of the classic champagne-style blend of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. When champagne is made with the two non-chardonnay grapes (pinot noir and pinot meunier, which are usually used in still red wines) it’s called “blanc de noirs” which means “white from blacks” which sounds even sketchier. You're currently a free subscriber to The Corrupt Wine Writer. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Thursday, September 4, 2025
Corrupt Review: Chandon Reserve Blanc de Blancs
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