Diebolt-Vallois is one of the first grower Champagnes to arrive in California before most of the American trade had a vocabulary for it, let alone a market.  It is also one of two Grand Cru anchors in our portfolio, and among the Côte des Blancs' most quietly authoritative estates. Isabelle Diebolt, an indefatigable perfectionist whom we have known for many years through her husband Marc Hébrart, has long since earned her own place at the top. The estate was helmed by her father Jean since the 1970s and draws from Grand Crus Cramant and Chouilly for breadth and fruit, Le Mesnil and Oger for tension and mineral line. The result is a heralded Blanc de Blancs range that stylishly limns Chardonnay’s capacity to offer tautness, fruit, and minerality. Drawn from a relatively small geographical expanse, the wines reflect both the bracing particularity of their origin in the north of the Côte des Blancs and the rounder qualities derived from selected vineyards toward Épernay — the best of both worlds.