Lacourte Godbillon Mi Pentes Pinot Noir Premiere Cru N.V

100% Pinot Noir including 10% aged in oak barrels. 2012 vintage, 20 % reserve wine from the 2010 vintage, from vines over 45 years of age, dosed at 6g/L.

A fresh style with nice creaminess and underpinnings of brioche and strawberry/red fruit tart. A brush of fruit tannin gives further depth, as is the house style, the fruit and site remains transparent. Not sweet or cloying as other rosé Champagne styles can be, maintains the house style of fruit purity.

45% Pinot Noir including 7% of Red Wines from old vineyards, 35% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier
Light orange-pink. Lively red berry and orange zest aromas are complemented by musky rhubarb. Dry and taut on the palate, offering bitter cherry and redcurrant flavors and a touch of licorice. Finishes on a tangy note, with good cut and length

Billecart Salmon Nicolas Francois 2002 A hint of struck flint reduction makes way for the icy brightness of grapefruit zest, lemon, white peach, then the warmth of figs, and later, yellow summer fruits. A decade in the cellar has set down layers of toast and nuts, even wood spice. Refreshing acidity takes time to uncoil, and minerality rises slowly, super fine, confident and taut, surging on the finish in a cascade of chalk that lingers, undeterred, for minutes.

Brilliant pale gold, with a tight bead and persistent mousse. The chardonnay provides green pear apple and toasted bread on the nose, with distinct wet stone minerality. Lush creamy mousse upon entry, rich full and crisp, with warm toasty elements. Explosive aged Chardonnay elements, intense minerality and great depth of flavor. Length and persistence of Burgundian style Chardonnay in the finish. Regardless of whether a festive occasion, aperitif high class, or with dinner, this wine deserves to be enjoyed with delicate dishes such as a Sole “Meuniere,” steamed lobster, or halibut.

Named after the light cavalry of Napoléon Bonaparte, in which the soldiers were the first to use the art of sabring, the Cuvée des Hussards is powerful and expressive. This cuvee was elaborated from 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir coming from Premier and Grand Cru vineyards older than 40 years old. 2012 is regarded as the vintage of reference of the last decade.

“Pale and lively. Straight up the nose. Quite different from the wines so far. More lively and tense but good undertow. Fruit not oak expressed here. Racy with depth and undertow. Vibrant “17/20 Jancis Robinson

Benoît Lahaye’s Brut Nature highlights his chalk-streaked terroir surrounding the Grand Cru village of Bouzy. This Champagne is 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, 80% from Bouzy and 20% from Ambonnay, all grown on brown chalk; the vines are an average of 35-years-old. Lahaye’s Brut Nature is a fine example of the clarity one can achieve in non-dosage Champagne. Raspberries align with white rocks making this a fine selection for rich seafood dishes, such as lobster bisque.

This family-owned producer in the Aube region of Champagne has made a pale colored rosé. Dominated by 70% Pinot Noir, it’s ripe and softly rich, its red fruit balanced with an almost-warm acidity that gives it a welcoming character. Drink now.

The Vauversin family have been making wine in the Grand Cru village of Oger since 1640.

Laurent Vauversin is the current custodian, having recently taken over the family business from his father Bruno. Laurent’s grandfather took the decision to start making wine on a commercial scale back in 1930 and 84 years later Laurent is continuing the family tradition of growing and producing great Champagne.

The 3ha vineyard in Oger sits on the chalky Côte des Blancs escarpment South of Epernay, an area renowned for its impressive Chardonnay Champagnes. The Laurent’s attitude and ethos towards wine making is clear; be less intrusive, simpler and allow the full flavour and incredible subtlety of the Chardonnay grape assert itself. This ethos is typified in the vineyard’s ongoing organic conversion effort.

Lanson Extra Age Brut is a blend of three exceptional Vintages bringing together the best Champagne Crus : 2004, 2005 and 2006. Blended and matured in Maison Lanson’s historic cellars, the blend has waited more than five years to achieve its ultimate expression. The harmony and balance of this Lanson Extra Age Brut NV wine give full expression to the power of the Pinot Noirs from the finest areas of Verzenay and Bouzy. The Chardonnays from the Cote des Blancs: Choilly, Avize, Oger and Vertus, in all their diversity, add a touch of finesse. On the palate, the attack is ample, the body generous and complex and the finale the epitome of finesse and freshness.

Gosset Grand Millesime 2006 is  a blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. The first nose is very fresh and expressive with notes of hawthorn, lilac, wild white flowers and fruit notes such as pear, plum and Mirabelle. The palate is straightforward with light notes of violet. Citrus fruits aromas dominate in this cuvée: lemon drops and grapefruit aromas sustained by fruit aromas (pear, plum) thus confirming the nose. In the mouth, we can find aromas of citrus caviar and grapefruit. The finish has a long lasting, refreshing note with a hint of saltiness, and ends with notes of lemon.