Blanc de Blancs Vintage – 2021

Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2021. Chardonnay from cool hillside vineyards, aged on the lees for forty months.

With the Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2021, Markus Schneider presents a vintage sparkling wine made from pure Chardonnay and fermented in the bottle using the traditional method. No Champagne, no Prosecco, no quick sparkling wine for the buffet bucket.

The Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2021 matured as a quality sparkling wine from hand-picked Chardonnay, aged on the lees for 40 months after its second fermentation. If the cork gives way with a soft sigh instead of a pop, the temperature is just right.

In the glass, a dense chain of tiny bubbles rises. The first aroma recalls fresh yeast-baked goods, the second that of sliced pear.

Yeast-baked goods, bright pear and taut acidity

The Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2021 combines the freshness of Chardonnay grown on hillside vineyards with the baked-goods aromas of long lees aging. Wine critic Yves Beck cites brioche and white fruit as defining impressions. With a little time in the glass, the baked-goods aromas emerge further.

On the palate, it initially feels creamy, almost soft. Then the acidity takes hold, drawing the sparkling wine long and lean to the finish. The perlage does not foam up; it settles delicately on the tongue.

These aromas are created through autolysis: During storage, the dead yeast cells slowly break down and release amino acids into the wine. Over the months, this develops aromas of bread, brioche, and nuts. Anyone expecting a fragrant, fruity sparkling wine in the style of a Prosecco will find this vintage too serious.

With Wiener Schnitzel, tempura and aged Comté

A vintage sparkling wine with this acidity can accompany an entire menu because it cuts through fat and salt instead of being overwhelmed by them. A Wiener Schnitzel with lukewarm potato salad is the classic test for this. The crispy breading and acidity balance each other out.

Vegetable or prawn tempura with a little sea salt works on the same principle. For the cheese course, thin slices of 18-month-aged Comté are a good match, its nutty depth mirroring the yeast aromas. Veal tartare with capers and lemon zest also harmonizes well, provided the sharpness remains restrained.

Our tip: Serve the sparkling wine at 8 to 9°C in a tulip-shaped white wine glass rather than a narrow flute. In the larger bowl, the baked-goods aromas appear much clearer. It is not intended for cocktails with juice or liqueur, as its delicate nuances would be lost in them.

A cool vintage from the hillside vineyards of Ellerstadt

The Chardonnay vines used for this sparkling wine descend from French selections that Markus Schneider planted in the highest vineyards of the estate. At this altitude, the grapes ripen more slowly than in the warm Lower Palatinate plain. They retain the acidity that would otherwise make a sparkling wine aged on the lees for years taste flat.

The 2021 vintage suited this idea perfectly. After several hot years, it had a late budburst in May, an unsettled early summer, and only reached the necessary ripeness in August. Harvesting at the estate began on September 20.

It was harvested by hand. The base wine was initially fermented in multi-year wooden barrels of various sizes. Then came the tirage: sugar and yeast were added to the bottle, triggering the second fermentation that creates the carbonation.

After 40 months, the sparkling wine was disgorged in January 2026, thus freed from the lees in the neck of the bottle and recorked. Good to know: After disgorgement, a sparkling wine needs several months to settle before its aromas come together again. The 2021 vintage has already been through this phase.

An autumn in the bottle, a date to give as a gift

A vintage sparkling wine comes exclusively from the harvest of a single year, while many sparkling wines blend base wines from several vintages. The name Blanc de Blancs also indicates that only white grapes are used. Yves Beck rated this vintage 96 out of 100 points.

The year itself makes it a thoughtful gift, for example for the fifth wedding anniversary of a couple who married in 2021. The 2020 vintage sparkling wine, which spent 25 months on the lees, allows for a direct comparison. For the main course that follows, a dry Pinot Blanc from the Palatinate from the same house is a good choice.

A sparkling wine for hosts who enjoy telling their guests where it comes from and why it had to wait forty months when they make a toast.