The first four wines are pairs of the regular and non-dosage cuvées from two different Champagne producers – found myself preferring the unsweetened version on each occasion.
Champagne Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut Nature NV (£43-£51 Selfridges, Harrods, Jeroboams, Harvey Nichols, Waitrose Wine Direct) An elegant, sleek, supermodel of a wine, dry and subtle but packed with flavours of nuts, green apples and dry (as in not sweet) caramel, and with a persistent, smoky, yeasty finish. The more I drank of this (and the worse the football became), the more I enjoyed it. S(+)
Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut NV (£28-£35 widely available) Not as fine-boned as the Ultra Brut, but still elegant, with rounded backed apple and pineapple flesh, and a nutty yeasty finish. B+
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Non Dosé NV (£34.99 Harvey Nichols, Les Caves de Pyrène) Full, wine-y style of Champagne, rich but bone dry, with aromas of flowers and bread dough, touches of Grannie Smiths and crystallised pineapple, and an elegant finish. S
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut NV (£29.99 Selfridges, Oddbins, Les Caves de Pyrène) Fuller is body , and with quite a firm backbone, but there’s also a wealth of honeyed raisin, pineapple and baked/ bruised green apple core apple flavour, with a creamy brioche finish. S(-)
Champagne Mumm Brut NV (£23-£30 widely available) Young fresh style, not amazingly complex, but with a rich, satisfying fruit flavour verging on the tropical. B
Champagne Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV (£25-£35 widely available) Softer and more rounded than the Mumm, but maybe not as concentrated, gentle, slightly yeasty finish. B(-)
The second of two videos I’ve done in the lead up to English Wine Week (the first one is here)
Chapel Down English Rosé 2009 (£9.20 Waitrose – link is for the ’08, but ’09 should be around soon) Simple but honest and tasty style of rosé, with a flavour reminiscent of strawberry & apple pie, just off-dry, decent summer quaffer. B-
Bolney Pinot Noir 2009 (£10.95 Waitrose) It’s not Burgundy, but this sappy youngster does a pretty reasonable imitation of Beaujolais. Tangy and earthy, with crunchy raspberry and blackberry fruit and a refreshing finish – trying chilling this. B
Bolney Dark Harvest 2008 (£8.95 Waitrose Wine Direct) A blend of Rondo and Triomphe, this has a spiky, almost fizzy bramble and dark berry fruit character, but is let down by slightly vegetal notes. C
Three Choirs Classic Cuvée NV (£10.25 Three Choirs) This blend of 65% Seyval Blanc, 25% Reichensteiner and 10% Pinot Noir succeeds thanks to a decent amount of time on lees, which has given a nutty, biscuity/brioche edge to the smoky, floral-scented apple fruit. Good wine. B+
Gusbourne Brut 2006 (~£21.99 01233 758666) Nice cooked bread, green apple and citrus fruit, quite delicately flavoured but marred by a rather intrusive cheesy/lactic character – shame. B-
The Theale Vineyard Blanc de Blancs Founder’s Reserve Brut 2005 (£22.99 Laithwaites) Leaner and finer than the Gusborne, and very classy. Has apple & lemon intensity, touches of yeasty richness and floral notes, and a dainty, fine-boned finish. From Laitwaites own vineyard, but made by the team at Ridgeview. S
PS A note to some of the vineyards on here and on the previous video – many of your websites need updating with the current vintages…
Segura Viudas Brut Reserva NV (£8.99 Oddbins) Earthy lemon aromas, quite pleasant toasty notes, but then the finish is just too sweet and a little flabby. OK, but lacks crispness. C+
Raventós i Blanc Gran Reserva de la Finca 2005 (£21.99 Hamilton Yorke, Handford, Martinez, Davy’s Wine Shop, The Vineyard, SWIG) A slightly clay-like minerality here, again lemon (and citrus peel), with some of that bready complexity, and there’s also a hint of cocoa. Rich but dry, and while there’s some yeasty maturity, it still feels young. S(+)
Raventós i Blanc de Nit Brut Reserva 2007 (£17.99 Hamilton Yorke, Handford, Martinez, Davy’s Wine Shop, The Vineyard, SWIG) The fresh, earthy edge and biscuity bite of the l’Hereu, but infused with red berries, lovely balanced style, with plenty of fruit but also elegance and zest. Walks over most Champagnes at twice the price. S
Bisol ‘Cartizze’ Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore 2008, Veneto, Italy (£22.99 Bibendum) Starts off lush and peachy, but then the minerally restraint kicks, adding a drier, more serious, clay-like edge and keeping you coming back for more. S-
Cono Sur Brut NV, Bío-Bío, Chile (£9.99 Morrisons, Oddbins, Tesco.com) Toasty sweet’n’sour Riesling character comes through strongly on the nose, also in the mouth. It tends to take over what without it would have been a quite elegant wine. Shame. C+
Codorníu Reina Maria Cristina Cava Brut Reserva 2007, Catalonia, Spain (£18.99 Majestic) Relaxed, confident style, showing some maturity, but still with a core of earthy citrus fruit, and a touch of herbs, a touch of sweetness, but nicely balanced. S-
Petaluma Croser 2006, Piccadilly Valley, South Australia (£16.06 Bibendum – £11.08 in the sale from Feb 2nd-15th) Showing some creamy, even cheesy lees edges, along with some of the strained chocolatey richness of a touch of oxidation. But these are all in balance with the rest of the wine, and the bready/biscuity citrus and pineapple get their chance to shine. Rich but dry, classy style. S
Champagne Moutard Cuvée des 6 Cépages 2004, France (£37.50 – Sommelier Wine Co, Markinch Wine Gallery, Winos, Den Boer Wines, Kevin O’Rourke Wines, Divine Wines, Vineyards, Cherchez le Vin, Ashbourne Wines, K D Brands Ltd, John Gordons Ltd, Beverley Bollons, The Larder, The Naked Grape, Bacchus)
(the 6 Cépages are Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier)
Not much on the nose, or in the mouth. Has a creamy, herby edge, but not a great deal of flavour coming through at the moment. Nor with further time – am I missing the point here? B
A rather diverse sextet of sparkling wines that I’ve just tried from various parts of France and northern Italy…
Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé NV (£9.99 Waitrose) Slightly bitter edge, but then opens up to show ripe raspberry and cherry. Not complex but a nice drink. B-
Réserve de Sours Sparkling Rosé NV, Bordeaux, France (£10.98 Private Cellar) Sl confected, rather sweet and simple strawberry fruit, OK, but a bit young and raw. C
Bisol Desiderio Jeio Valdobbiadene Prosecco Brut NV, Veneto, Italy (£9.15 Bibendum) Fresh, frothy, almost sherbet-like, soft peachy fruit, attractive but very simple style. B-
Bisol Crede Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore Brut 2008, Veneto, Italy (£14.57 Bibendum) Less frothy but more grip and minerally character here, one of those wines that creeps up on you, an almost volcanic minerally note. B+
Champagne Moutard Champ Persin Côte des Bar Chardonnay NV (£25.99 Woods Wines, Ashbourne Wines, Sommelier Cru) Quite toasty, a lemony edge that’s almost like Semillon (!), quite ripe and plush, not fine but honest, balanced and tasty. B+
Champagne Moutard Vignes Beugneux Côte des Bar Pinot Noir NV (£25.99 R Campbell & Sons, Hanslope Wines, Woods Wines, Kevin O’Rourke Wines) A smoky edge here, ripe, even spicy fruit with a creamy/yeasty richness, very ‘wine-y’ Champagne, rich but dry, with an almost briney tang to the finish. S-
It’s Valentine’s Day and I probably should be wooing my sweetheart. However, we’ve had a wonderful day together, including a long lie-in, a trip to IKEA (without which no Valentine’s Day is complete), a cuddle at the cinema (Slumdog Millionaire – Anil Kapoor is the Indian Michel Rolland) and a slap-up meal of rib-eye, dauphinoise and flageolets with two pink fizzes as accompaniment.
Yes, you’re right, Bollinger Rosé v. Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rosé isn’t strictly a fair competition. The Bolly was lined up for the enjoyment bit, and I needed something to moisten the flageolets with poor-man’s pancetta – Sainsbury’s cooking bacon. The JC was at hand, so I thought, ‘why not?’ It’s not a bad drop, solid and fruity, a tad sweet, but perfectly pleasant. But next to the Bollinger… OK, it’s a fraction of the price, but we’re talking Premiership v. Division One. The Bolly sings where the JC shrieks, it smoulders where the JC froths over, it keeps you coming back for more. I’ve met women who are the equivalent of the JC, bubbly and fruity, but not with a huge amount of depth – thankfully I’m married to a beautiful Bolly.
