Agrapart & Fils 7 Crus Extra-Brut Non-Vintage
Product Information: The NV Brut 7 Crus is a very pretty. Bright, mineral and intensely vibrant, the 7 Crus is full of energy and refreshment. 7 Crus is a blend of two harvests: in this case, 60% is 2021 from 1er Cru sites; and 40% is 2020 from Grand Cru sites. The reserve wine was raised in neutral, 600-litre oak casks from François Chidaine and Didier Dagueneau. The breakdown is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir. Even at this first level, the wine is aged for three years on lees. It was disgorged with 6 g/L dosage. This is the most immediately seductive cuvée in the Agrapart range, yet it is still extremely fine. It’s long, deep and saline with some gentle grip. Sadly, we do not get nearly enough. The reviews below refer to a previous disgorgement. Disg. March 2024. The Agrapart range begins with a non-vintage wine called 7 Crus. The name refers to the seven Côte des Blancs villages from which the wine derives. These include Avize (from younger vines aged 20 to 40 years), Cramant, Oger, Oiry, Avenay-Val-d’Or, Coligny and Vauciennes. Like all Agrapart wines, the fruit is from 100% estate-owned and farmed vineyards. Maker: In 1894 at the beginning of France’s lively Belle Époque “the beautiful era” or Europe's golden era between 1871 to 1914. Arthur Agrapart started the family domaine that would become Champagne Agrapart & Fils. The estate has weathered many storms, including World War I, an economic depression, and the German Occupation during World War II, which devastated stock by millions of cases throughout the region. In the 1950s, Arthur’s grandson Pierre set out to rebuild the family business by making wines of quality rather than following the commercial trends of the day. Pierre’s sons Pascal and Fabrice took over the reins in 1990, farming their own vineyards along the prestigious Côte de Blancs, as well as blending and bottling their own wines. By the early 2000s, upon realising the brothers did not have the same goals for the future of the estate, Pascal began the long-term process of dividing the estate in two. His vineyards would become the backbone of Domaine Pascal Agrapart, focusing on the unique single vineyard cuvées that he had championed since the early 1990s and the remaining family vineyards would provide the fruit for the assemblage cuvées, 7 Crus & Terroirs, still bottled under the Agrapart & Fils label today. Pascal has been joined by his eldest son Ambroise and their ultimate goal is to produce only wines bearing the Pascal Agrapart label. Philosophy: The winery is based in the grand cru village of Avize, famous for its cuvees of 100% Chardonnay. Pascal and Ambroise farm 10 hectares from some 60 different vineyard plots in the Côte de Blancs, including Oger, Cramant, Oiry and Avize. They farm using only homeopathic vine treatments, composts, manures, and regular plowing. The Agraparts were one of the first families to bring the draft horse back to the vineyards, and named a cuvee in honour of their first four-hooved friend, Vénus. In plowing the old-school way, they expose the clay and limestone soils to immune-boosting properties of the wind and sun. While they once were the object of ridicule, they now lead a return to authentic, ancestral practices. Their quality control extends to manual harvests, a selective triage of the grapes, and the use of native yeasts during fermentation. Malolactic fermentations are employed to round out the intensity of these mineral-driven Champagnes. The wines age on their lees for an extended period of time, and then are racked to both stainless steel and neutral oak barrels—the latter being a rarity in Champagne before Pascal started using them. All wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Nose - Apricots, Pears, Fennel Vibrant fruit here, with peaches, apricots, lemons, pears, almonds and spicy anise notes. Palate - Intense Minerality, Pillowy Palate, Citrus Peel medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy palate. Finish - Chalk, Lingering Citrus, Saline White flowers, chalk and citrus linger.
Gosset Grand Blanc de Blancs Non-Vintage
Product Information: This Champagne highlights the more mineral characters of the different Champagne varying terroirs. Dialling into the chalky minerality, the Chardonnays are selected from various crus - Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Villers-Marmery, Trépail - where the chalk breaks through to the surface in the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. Earthy mineral aromas, very refined, delicate and attractive overall, with aromas of white flowers, citrus and a trace of honey. Lovely tension! As crisp and lively as it gets. Bottled at the end of the spring following the harvest and with 4 years minimum ageing in the cellars. The dosage is a low 7g/l adjusted with precision to preserve the balance between freshness and fruit without masking the wine’s character and purity. Maker: The oldest Wine House in Champagne: Aÿ 1584 The history of the Gosset family goes back five centuries to Jean Gosset (1484-1556), “Lord of Aÿ and Mareuil”, who was the first official ancestor in the lineage. The origins of “Maison Gosset” itself date back to the year 1584 when Pierre Gosset, Lord and Alderman of Aÿ, decided to set up a négociant business. 16 generations, all of direct lineage, have continued to build upon his work in Aÿ-Champagne and ensured that Champagne Gosset’s savoir-faire, lives on. Towards the end of 1993, the Champagne Gosset became part of the family-owned Renaud-Cointreau group which has since made it its mission to preserve the Gosset style. In the late 20th century, Champagne Gosset’s association with the Cointreau family, as well as the birth of the Gosset Celebris vintage cuvées, propelled the Champagne House to be amongst the most prestigious Champagne Houses. The unique bottle Jean Gosset first used the antique bottle that would become the emblem of the Gosset Champagne House in 1760. This bottle is an exclusive model that used to be part of the family’s collection of ancestral bottles. It owes its name to the “antique glass” colour of the glass paste from which it is produced. This elegant bottle is bears a neck label known as the “necklace medallion” named after Albert Gosset (truly one of a kind in the Champagne region), is instantly recognisable. Philosophy: Gosset is dedicated to crafting wines with perfect balance between freshness and distinctive character. Each cuvée reflects the region’s diverse terroirs, sourced from 140 hectares of Champagne vineyards. Their unique vinification process preserves natural fruit freshness and enhances aromatic expression, resulting in Champagnes with great mineral freshness, deep varietal character, and excellent aging potential. This approach delivers rich, balanced, and complex drinking experiences for connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike. Nose - Chalky, Savoury, Herbaceous Earthy mineral aromas, very refined, delicate white flowers, marjoram and floral honey. Palate - Lemon, Sherry Notes, Energetic Nervy, crisp and lively on the palate. Lemon peel, white peach, subtle nougat and sherry complexity. Young and fresh overall. Finish - Chalk, Sea Spray, Minerality A clean, appetising finish and aftertaste. Lip-smacking.
Gosset Grand Rose Non-Vintage
Product Information: This rosé has a high percentage of Chardonnay, which imbues freshness and precision, complemented by Pinot Noir vinified as both white and red base wines. The red wines are derived from different Champagne crus (Ambonnay, Bouzy, Cumières) and are vinified and blended to obtain a very fine and crunchy fruit. Bottled at the end of the spring following the harvest. This wine spends a minimum of 4 years ageing in the cellars. The dosage is adjusted with precision (8 g/l) to preserve the balance between freshness and fruit without masking the wine’s character and purity. A very tasty aperitif style wine. Moreish. The first impression is white flowers, hawthorn, green apples and citrus. As the Champagne warms up, a hint of grapefruit peel comes to the fore, accompanied by almond, ginger, and star anise. Almond and sherry like notes continue on the palate. Very energetic, interesting and satisfying blush Champagne. Maker: The oldest Wine House in Champagne: Aÿ 1584 The history of the Gosset family goes back five centuries to Jean Gosset (1484-1556), “Lord of Aÿ and Mareuil”, who was the first official ancestor in the lineage. The origins of “Maison Gosset” itself date back to the year 1584 when Pierre Gosset, Lord and Alderman of Aÿ, decided to set up a négociant business. 16 generations, all of direct lineage, have continued to build upon his work in Aÿ-Champagne and ensured that Champagne Gosset’s savoir-faire, lives on. Towards the end of 1993, the Champagne Gosset became part of the family-owned Renaud-Cointreau group which has since made it its mission to preserve the Gosset style. In the late 20th century, Champagne Gosset’s association with the Cointreau family, as well as the birth of the Gosset Celebris vintage cuvées, propelled the Champagne House to be amongst the most prestigious Champagne Houses. The unique bottle Jean Gosset first used the antique bottle that would become the emblem of the Gosset Champagne House in 1760. This bottle is an exclusive model that used to be part of the family’s collection of ancestral bottles. It owes its name to the “antique glass” colour of the glass paste from which it is produced. This elegant bottle is bears a neck label known as the “necklace medallion” named after Albert Gosset (truly one of a kind in the Champagne region), is instantly recognisable. Philosophy: Gosset is dedicated to crafting wines with perfect balance between freshness and distinctive character. Each cuvée reflects the region’s diverse terroirs, sourced from 140 hectares of Champagne vineyards. Their unique vinification process preserves natural fruit freshness and enhances aromatic expression, resulting in Champagnes with great mineral freshness, deep varietal character, and excellent aging potential. This approach delivers rich, balanced, and complex drinking experiences for connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike. Nose - Sherry Complexity, Grapefruit Peel, Ginger Flower The first nose expresses white flowers, hawthorn, green apples and citrus. As the Champagne warms up, a hint of grapefruit peel comes to the fore, accompanied by ginger and star anise. Palate - Pineapple, Intense, Saline On the palate, flavours of citrus fruit mingle with pineapple and finish with a sparkling saline note. Finish - Lingering, Moreish, Savoury Excellent style. Long-lingering aftertaste is clean and dry and moreish. Very energetic, interesting and satisfying.
Veuve Clicquot Vintage
Veuve Clicquot is widely regarded as one of the great Champagne houses. A pioneer in Champagne, Madame Clicquot's legacy can still be tasted in every bottle of Veuve. The Vintage by Veuve is a typically generous and full-bodied style of Champagne with all the toastiness and notes of brioche lover of Veuve have come to expect.
Billecart Salmon Brut Rose Non-Vintage Champagne
Founded in 1818 by Nicolas Francois Billecart and his spouse Elizabeth Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay, this is one of the few houses that have remained in the same family. Seven generations on, the house is led by the very talented Francois Roland-Billecart. They espouse three principal aims are finesse, balance and elegance and the Brut rose is testament to this. Pale salmon pink in colour, the nose shows lifted red fruits and fresh pear. The Pinot has given structure to the blend while the Chardonnay has given a wonderful elegance and delicacy. A blend of 40% chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier, and 40% Pinot Noir. Of the Pinot component 8% is still wine from the family vineyards in Mareuil.
Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut Non-Vintage
Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut NV is produced using 100% Côte des Blancs Chardonnay grapes. The vineyards are on the Southern side of Vertus. In the cellar, Larmandier uses mostly large format casks and less and less steel tanks. These are vineyards on roughly the same 'Latitude' and the name also hints at the breadth of texture that the wines from these sites (having more clay in the soil) tend to offer up. In the cellar Larmandier uses mostly large format casks (almost all the wood now comes from Stockinger in Austria) and less and less steel tanks. The alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place without inoculation, and there is no fining or filtration. Bottle maturation takes place in the underground cellars over a period of more than two years, and each bottle is disgorged manually, six months before being released, and dosed at low, Extra Brut levels. Pure and mineral, the most recent bottling offers cut-diamond precision, citrusy, chalky energy and a succulent, textured core. In short, it is a classic 'Larmandier' wine that is all class. Dosage is 3-4 grams per litre
Taittinger Brut Réserve Champagne Non-Vintage
Laurent-Perrier Brut Millésimé
The origin of the House dates back to 1812, created by André Michel Pierlot, it will take the name of Veuve Laurent-Perrier when Mathilde Emilie Perrier, widow of Eugène Laurent decides to combine the two family names while she ensures the development. Eugénie Hortense Laurent, his daughter, inherited the House in 1925 and sold it to Marie-Louise de Nonancourt, née Lanson, in 1939. The 2012 Vintage is the choice of an exceptional year from which only a selection of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Grands Crus will enter into a future iteration of Grand Siècle. It is a rare and outstanding wine that expresses the character of the year in the Laurent-Perrier style. Laurent-Perrier very rarely makes vintages, declaring less than one out of two years compared with the market average of over three out of four years. The wine is white gold in colour with a fine sparkle. A flowery nose of great complexity, with notes of citrus and white peaches. A wine that is very present with a lively attack and great finesse with good minerality and notes of grapefruit on the finish. The Vintage 2012 pairs well with seafood and noble fish as well as with poultry or veal. This wine sublimates hard pressed cheeses such as a young Comté or a Beaufort.
Pol Roger Vintage
One of the finest of all French Champagne houses and in top form in recent years with their vintage releases. Vintage Pol combines elegance and finesse with depth and complexity of flavour.
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé
Chamapagne Rosé is a true delight to the senses and Billecart-Salmon rightly takes its place in the top echelon. A vibrant Salmon pink colour greets the glass, with a long, smooth, delicate, elegant and refined palate to follow. Without the price tag that others of this quality demand, this is a Champagne that all must enjoy at least once.