PHILIPPONNAT Blanc de Noirs Extra-Brut Vintage, Champagne

'Rose were for long regarded as the illegitimate offspring of Champagne, recipients of coarse, heavy pressings wines partially masked by high dosage levels. Today they are routinely priced above 'normal' NV (or vintage) blends and are carefully made. Whether they really merit the premium is irrelevant: the market has spoken. But Laurent-Perrier is a special case: this is 100% pinot noir, rather than a blend coloured by pinot noir red wine. The full salmon colour is an immediate indication of its provenance, the bouquet complex and alluring, leading directly into the cherry and strawberry flavours of the long, sustained palate; excellent finish and aftertaste.' - 95 points, James Halliday Top 100

The Pinot Meunier reveals all the fullness of its fruit, and is completed by the Chardonnay with its distinguished freshness. The beautiful green highlights, a slightly golden tint and the fine bubbles evoke the elegance of the Millesime, a rare year, unusual because of its extraordinary weather conditions with sunshine and rainfall playing a major role. Its bouquet expresses the minerality from this exceptional year, and its notes of white-fleshed orchard fruit lead into on fine, subtle toasted notes.

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.

This new vintage is fresh and crisp, taut and racy. A fine youthful wine that promises to age gracefully for five to six years. 70% Pinot noir - 30% Chardonnay. One third of the wine is matured in oak casks prior to bottling, after four years on lees, it is disgorged, it sees dosage of 8-10 g/l before another 6 months in bottle prior to release.

Latitude is a 100% Côte de Blancs Chardonnay, predominantly grown, as it always has been, in vineyards on the southern side of Vertus. These are vineyards on roughly the same

Moët & Chandon is arguably the most famous name in the world of Champagne. The first impression that strikes when tasting the Grand Vintage 1999 is an impression of wealth, both in the development of aromas and flavours of the wine in the mouth.

Veuve Clicquot has been producing fine quality Champagne since it was founded in 1772. In 1810, Madame Clicquot broke new ground by creating the first vintage Champagne, made of grapes from one single harvest. Veuve's non vintage is consistently rated in the top handful of NV Champagnes and delivers a powerful bubbly with a rich mouthfeel. The Ponsardin vintage is elegant with generous freshness and the Pinot Noir lends body to a very lively wine. On the palate there's layers of floral and fruity complexity that flows into a remarkably long and powerful finish.

It begins first with the aromas of fresh red fruits (strawberry, raspberry, cherry) combined with citrus fruit fragrances (grapefruit) that match perfectly with the lightly spiced notes of cinnamon and vanilla revealed once allowed to breathe. Finally, dried fruit and brioche notes delicately add to the richness and complexity of its aromas. Full-bodied, structured and energetic palate. A perfect reflection of the nose, its minerality reveals generous red fruit aromas from the Pinot Noir (Morello cherry) combined with notes of slightly candied citrus fruit from the Chardonnay. Hints of sweet pastries point to the wine's long and slow maturation on lees. Lastly, marrying with the juicy freshness of the fruit, the power of the tannins is perfectly balanced, leading to a delicate and silky finish of surprising length, simply gorgeous.