Blanc de blancs

White wine from white grapes only

Blanc de blancs is a white sparkling wine made only from white grapes.1 In Champagne the term is written into the AOC specification; most examples there are Chardonnay, but other authorised white varieties also qualify.2,3,4

What the term guarantees

The AOC Champagne specification allows white wines made "seulement de raisins blancs", only from white grapes, and names this style blanc de blancs (chapter X.2).2 The French fraud authority DGCCRF uses the same definition: a Champagne labelled blanc de blancs is made only from white grapes.1 The mention is optional; a producer may make such a wine and not say so on the label.5

The term says nothing about age, sweetness or origin within the region. A blanc de blancs can be non-vintage or vintage, and it can come from one site or many.3

Which grapes

The Union des Maisons de Champagne describes blanc de blancs as made exclusively from Chardonnay.3 That is the usual practice, not the legal requirement. The specification only asks for white grapes, and Champagne also authorises other white varieties: Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.4 A blanc de blancs from one of these, or from a blend of them with Chardonnay, is still a blanc de blancs.

How it differs from other styles

The mirror term is blanc de noirs, a white wine from black grapes. A classic Champagne blend mixes white and black varieties and carries neither term. For the full list of permitted varieties see Champagne grape varieties.

The definitions on this page come from the Champagne rules. Other appellations may use the words in the same sense, but this page does not cover their texts.

See also

ChardonnayGrapesBlanc de noirsStylescépages de ChampagneGlossaryChampagneRegionsVintage (millésime)StylesSingle-vineyard (lieu-dit, clos)Styles

Sources

  1. DGCCRF (Ministère de l'Économie). Champagne : connaître le langage des étiquettes (2025-12-16)
  2. Cahier des charges de l'AOP « Champagne » - modifications approved by the INAO national committee on 11 September 2024 (national opposition procedure text) (2024-09-11)
  3. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Blending a Grande Marque cuvée
  4. Cahier des charges de l'AOC Champagne (homologated by arrêté of 30 Nov 2022; draft modification after INAO committee of 7 Sept 2023) (2023-09-07)
  5. Comité Champagne (champagne.education). How to read a Champagne label (2024-02)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19