Robert Parker says...
Blanquette "is probably the least known, well-made sparkling wine of France, at least to the Anglo Saxon world. From an appellation called Blanquette de Limoux hidden in the Languedoc Roussillon area just north of Spain's border comes France's oldest sparkling wine made a century before a monk named Dom Pérignon was credited with discovering the process of producing champagne. Made primarily from the Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Mauzac grapes, the wines are qualitatively close to a high-quality nonvintage champagne at one third the price."
From Hugh Johnson's Wine Companion Encyclopedia, 4th edition:
The most unexpected and original of all the wines of the Midi is the high quality sparkling wine of Limoux, tucked away behind the Corbières on the upper reaches of the River Aude above Carcassonne. There is substantial evidence that this lovely area of hilly farms produced France's first sparkling wine, about 200 years before champagne. The wine (is called) Blanquette de Limoux; Blanquette coming not from the colour of the wine but from the white film that covers the underside of the leaves of the mauzac grape.
"Mauzac is the white grape with a slight smell of cider ..The traditional Limoux formula is mauzac for sprightliness, plus Clairette for mildness, originally just pétillant but now made by the methode traditionelle to full pressure and extremely high standards of delicate blending. Chenin Blanc also plays a part. The latest development is the addition of Chardonnay in the best cuvees for fuller flavour."
Also, from his book, Wine
"Limoux, in the hills west of the Languedoc just south of Carcassonne - is one of the last places you would look for the delicacy and acidity that sparkling wine needs."
"…lightness, delicacy, and the true racing bubble they do have…"
From Clive Coates, MW, Encyclopedia of the Wines and Domaines of France
"Away from the hurly-burley lies a different world, where the vines share the countryside with maize and sunflowers or merely pasture. It is rural and peaceful, la France profonde."
"Of all the white wine AOCs, Limoux is the most interesting … the cool limestone slopes of the Limoux region have proved to be a natural environment for chardonnay.
"Limoux has been a centre for sparkling wine for 250 years. The reputation for this lies in historian Froissart in 1388."
From Oz Clarke's Wine Guide
A hilly region south-west of Carcassonne in the Aude is a surprising place to find (Blanquette de Limoux) this sharp, refreshing sparkling wine, since most southern whites are singularly flat and dull. The secret lies in the Mauzac grape, which makes up a minimum of 90 per cent of the wine and gives it its striking green-apple skin flavour - the balance is made up of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.The méthode traditionelle is used to create the sparkle.
From The Guide Hachette
Mauzac gives an apple fragrance
Chenin brings fruit and vigour
Chardonnay adds a complex bouquet
It is a condition that all Limoux wines have to
reach the press unblemished.
Mitchell Beazley's White Wine Guide by Jim Ainsworth
Blanquette de Limoux: - a sharp appley freshness and bite that follows up the faint grassy cidery aroma.
"...the venerable southern French fizz"
Rosemary George, MW, Chairman of the Circle of
Wine Writers writes in Wines of the South of France
With a glass of Blanquette offering an original alternative to champagne, Limoux provides a fascinating island of sparkling wine, a cool haven in the warm south.
Known traditionally for its dramatic landscapes, the South of France is becoming one of the most exciting French vineyard areas - its wines are now capable of holding their own with any in the world.
From Alice King's Fabulous Fizz
Blanquette de Limoux is a little-known fizz gem that I've discovered, tucked away in the hinterland of the Languedoc. The best have a wonderful honeyed spicy aromas and flavours with an attractive earthy character.
"...A distinctive fizzer..."
Time Life, The Wine Guide
Blanquette de Limoux: French AOC in Languedoc Roussillon producing delicious, refreshing champagne-method sparkling wine --- known for its intense green apple flavours.
The Which? Wine Guide 2003
by Susan Keevil and Susy Atkins
"Limoux: the intriguing and rarely found sparkling wines Blanquette de Limoux and Cremant de Limoux made by the traditional method.
