Tag: bottle

  1. Recently Listed: Amazone de Palmer & Co

    February 2, 2022

    The latest Amazone de Palmer & Co, the co-operative’s prestige cuvée champagne, is a blend of reserve wines from the best terroirs of the Montagne de Reims and now comes housed in an eco-responsible box.

  2. Champagne Salon: The 43 Vintages from 1905-2012

    January 18, 2022

    Produced on average only three times per decade, there have been just 43 vintages of Salon released from this tiny house in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger since the very first in 1905. Here we list all of the vintages produced in the history of this famous house.

  3. The Taittinger Collection: 1983-2016

    December 1, 2021

    We are selling an extremely rare complete set of The Taittinger Collection: The Art of Champagne – 13 champagnes in total, from vintage 1978 to vintage 2008.

  4. Tasting Review: Vintage 2004… Overshadowed by 2002?

    April 2, 2020

    Vintage 2002 is legendary in Champagne and has often been named the vintage of the century. But did the hype and unanimity of its success result in the unfair neglect of another, perhaps equally, great vintage? We conducted a blind tasting to find out.

  5. Ulysse Collin: The Terroir Movement

    March 28, 2020

    Ulysse Collin are right at the forefront of the terroir movement that is currently revolutionising Champagne. Olivier Collin, a student of Anselme Selosse, embodies the hip, alternative, craftsman image that is proving so popular with younger consumers. We visited in June to find out more.

  6. Veuve Clicquot: Exploring Vintage 2008

    March 26, 2020

    We met with recently departed Veuve Clicquot cellar master Dominique Demarville last summer, shorty after it was announced that he would be departing at the end of the year. A marvellous final tasting with Demarville at Clicquot saw us explore 2008, from the perspective of non-vintage, vintage, and prestige cuvée.

  7. Bollinger: Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

    March 1, 2020

    During a visit to the house of Bollinger in Aÿ last year, we explored champagnes from some of the region’s hottest ever vintages, dating as far back as 1947. We also held a mini-vertical of Special Cuvée base vintages, tasted a trio of R.D.s and had a look at the new Coteaux Champenois.

  8. The Next Chapter: Louis Roederer Cristal 2012 and Cristal Rosé 2012

    December 11, 2019

    Eighteen months on from the release of Cristal 2008, the next instalments in the collection have arrived: Cristal 2012 and Cristal Rosé 2012. Described by cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon as “the next chapter”, 2012 is the first vintage of 100% biodynamically farmed Cristal.

  9. The Krug Experience: Tasting Review and Photos

    November 29, 2019

    Essi Avellan MW recently hosted our latest Krug Experience tasting, in which guests sipped no less than twelve Krug champagnes (both Grande Cuvée and Vintage), including four examples from magnum. Check out the review and photos of the event here.

  10. Tasting Review: Champagne Latest Releases

    November 16, 2019

    Despite frequently tasting newly released champagnes, we rarely take the opportunity to sit down and taste just new releases. At our tasting at Frederick’s earlier this week we did exactly that, tasting a range of styles from some of the top champagne producers side by side.

  11. Billecart-Salmon: Champagnes Old & New

    October 20, 2019

    An insightful visit to Billecart-Salmon earlier this summer involved an extensive tour of the cellars with newly appointed chief executive Mathieu Roland-Billecart – who proudly showed off their many shiny new winemaking toys – and a tasting of champagnes both old and new with winemaker Florent Nys.

  12. Tasting Review: How Well Does Champagne Age?

    October 5, 2019

    Earlier this week, Jancis Robinson MW presented our standout champagne tasting of the year to a packed St James’s Room at 67 Pall Mall. The theme was champagne’s ageing potential and guests sampled ten pairs (an old and current vintage) from ten major brands.

  13. Laurent-Perrier: Something New, Something New, Something… New

    October 3, 2019

    A year of change for Laurent-Perrier sees the house welcome a new champagne, Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV; a redefined prestige cuvée concept, Grand Siècle Iterations; and finally, a new chef de cave, Dominique Demarville. We caught up in June to find out more.

  14. Champagne Salon Blanc de Blancs 2008

    September 29, 2019

    Not many champagnes are as eagerly anticipated as Salon 2008. Produced only in magnums (just 8,000 were made) and exclusively available as part of a specially designed wooden case, the ultimate rarity just got rarer. We met president Didier Depond in June to find out more.

  15. Rare Champagne: New House, Same Vision

    September 2, 2019

    Last year, Rare Champagne separated from parent brand Piper-Heidsieck, becoming the third champagne house of the burgeoning EPI group. We met veteran chef de cave Régis Camus at the vast premises in Reims earlier this summer to taste some treasures, both old and new.

  16. Charles Heidsieck: Chardonnay, Chardonnay, Chardonnay

    August 29, 2019

    This summer, we stopped off at Charles Heidsieck’s majestic garden and reception facility, Pavilion des Crayères, for a quick-fire visit and tasting with managing director Stephen Leroux. We sampled the new Coteaux Champenois and Collection Crayères releases.

  17. Taittinger: The Elusive Comtes Magnum!

    August 26, 2019

    We were truly spoilt during our recent tasting at Taittinger, which included not one, but two(!), of the notoriously rare Comtes magnums. Discussion centred around the newly released 2013 vintage, the future for Comtes, and the recently renovated vinification of Comtes Rosé.

  18. Louis Roederer: Something Old, Something New

    August 12, 2019

    A memorable evening at Louis Roederer earlier this year saw us taste the new vintage releases from 2013, preview Cristal 2012 and Cristal Rosé 2012, and sample the upcoming magnum launches from the Cristal Vinothèque programme. This one’s not to be missed!

  19. Palmer & Co: Bottles vs Magnums and Vintage Collection

    August 10, 2019

    Our last visit to Palmer & Co’s new winery in Reims included a comparison of the current range from bottle and magnum and a selection of older vintages from the late release Blanc de Blancs and Vintage Collections.

  20. Jancis Robinson MW: NV champagnes tasted in London

    July 11, 2019

    Jancis Robinson MW has recently tasted and scored more than 60 non-vintage champagnes, having attended two great champagne events in the capital, Taste Champagne and New Wave Champagne. Here we provide a link to the full article on her website.

  21. New Limited Edition Champagne: Palmer & Co Grands Terroirs 2003

    June 24, 2019

    A newly released limited edition champagne from Palmer & Co challenges the notion that hot vintages are unsuitable for producing wines with long-term ageing potential. Grand Terroirs 2003 is named in tribute to the unique vineyards that make it so expressive and fresh.

  22. New: Krug Grande Cuvée Edition 167 NV

    May 23, 2019

    This week, Krug unveiled their latest creation: Grande Cuvée Edition 167 NV. Based on the 2011 harvest, this will be a very short release due to the limited quantities produced. We have also recently listed magnums of Grande Cuvée Edition 164 NV, based on the spectacular 2008 vintage.

  23. New Release: Dom Pérignon P2 2002

    May 13, 2019

    Combining all the vibrancy of the 2002 vintage with the complexity and youthful vigour afforded by extended lees ageing, the recently released Dom Pérignon P2 2002 is one of the best champagnes of the decade and has already received a coveted 20/20 score from Jancis Robinson MW.

  24. Moët & Chandon: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting

    May 10, 2019

    Moët & Chandon winemaker Amine Ghanem talked us through the trials and tribulations of the 2018 vintage during our last visit to Champagne. He acknowledged it was a “challenging” vintage, but overall still “one of the best years region wide” – the resulting base wines he showed us were outstanding.

  25. New: Bollinger La Grande Année 2008

    April 11, 2019

    Yesterday, Bollinger launched their latest vintage champagne, La Grande Année 2008. From the vintage of the century and with a redesigned bottle that decelerates oxygen exchange, this could be their best yet. We compared it in bottle, magnum and jeroboam at The Ledbury in London.

  26. Louis Roederer: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting

    March 29, 2019

    Not many are as excited as Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon about 2018s potential, a year he describes as having “the density of 2002 and the precision of 2008.” During our visit, we also tasted the latest Cristal Vinothèque’s and a mind-blowing pair of Cristal magnums.

  27. Ruinart: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting

    March 26, 2019

    As a winemaker, Ruinart Chef de Cave Frédéric Panaïotis is excited by vintage 2018, “a year of extremes.” However, as a human, he’s worried about what it signifies for our changing climate. We tasted the vins clairs from this exceptional year at the house in Reims.

  28. Palmer & Co: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting

    March 25, 2019

    Earlier this month, we tasted the base wines from 2018 with Champagne Palmer & Co. Having previously released video footage of harvest 2018 describing it as “exceptional”, Palmer clearly rate the latest vintage highly and we soon discovered why.

  29. LIVE Bollinger Tasting and Q&A

    March 1, 2019

    On Wednesday 6th March 2019, we’ll be going LIVE on Instagram TV with Bollinger winemaker Karl Reuter, who’ll be guiding us through a tasting of six Bollinger champagnes and answering questions put to him by the live audience.

  30. How Long Before Drinking Should Champagne Be Open?

    December 18, 2018

    Should champagne be opened in advance of drinking? If so, for how long? Here we debunk the myth that opening bottles in advance is just for red wine and help you maximise your champagne experience this Christmas.

  31. Mr Dom Pérignon’s Life in Bottles

    December 13, 2018

    Read Jancis Robinson’s review of our recent Dom Pérignon Retrospective tasting – including scores, tasting notes and a league table of all 23 champagnes tasted, spanning 1990-2009. Full article on JancisRobinson.com.

  32. Louis Roederer Cristal 2008 vs Cristal 2009

    December 10, 2018

    With media attention surrounding the new release now somewhat subdued, we evaluate the price premium of Cristal 2008 – “the most Cristal of all Cristals” – versus Cristal 2009, which has just entered an ideal drinking window.

  33. Christmas Special Offers: Prestige Cuvées

    December 7, 2018

    As we get closer to Christmas, our champagne special offers keep getting better and better. This week, we’re promoting top of the range champagnes, with unbeatable prices on the most popular prestige cuvées, including Dom Pérignon, Krug Grande Cuvée and Louis Roederer Cristal.

  34. Christmas Special Offers: Non-Vintage Bottles and Magnums

    November 22, 2018

    This week we’re celebrating the most popular style of champagne: non-vintage. Since we love magnums, we’re promoting both bottles and magnums from some of the region’s most popular brands, including Bollinger, Charles Heidsieck and Pol Roger.

  35. Moët & Chandon Special Offers

    November 2, 2018

    In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we’ll be running a series of weekly promotions. Each week will have a different theme, promoting a different brand or a different style of champagne. For our first festive promotion, we have special offers on Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon champagne.

  36. Krug Grande Cuvée & Vintage Vertical Tasting: 2000-2010

    October 22, 2018

    At our most recent tasting at 67 Pall Mall, guests blind tasted Krug Grande Cuvée Editions 162-166 NV (2006-2010), and Krug Vintages 2000-2004, including Krug 2000 from magnum. Find out which champagnes were the highest rated on the evening here.

  37. A Visit to Champagne Palmer & Co

    October 19, 2018

    During our trip to Reims last week, we visited Champagne Palmer & Co to meet with Managing Director Rémi Vervier. After hunting in the underground cellars for the biggest bottle we could find, we discussed harvest 2018 and tasted two stunning examples of Palmer Vintage Collection.

  38. Tasting of 88 Champagnes from 1988

    October 17, 2018

    Last weekend, we attended a veritable extravaganza of champagne and food: a tasting of 88 champagnes from 1988 organised by fizz fanatic Peter Crawford and hosted at multiple Michelin-starred restaurants Domaine Les Crayères and L’Assiette Champenoise. Read our review of every champagne tasted.

  39. Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle NV: Bottle vs Magnum

    August 10, 2018

    We recently compared a bottle and magnum of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle NV and were surprised by how fresh and youthful the larger format was showing, despite being a blend of older vintages. Read the full tasting report here.

  40. Charles Heidsieck Dinner with Stephen Leroux

    August 3, 2018

    This week, Director of Charles Heidsieck Stephen Leroux hosted our Charles Heidsieck Dinner and Tasting at Frederick’s, Islington. With an expertly paired champagne/food menu and a rare magnum of Brut Millésime 1983 to taste, it was a night to remember.

  41. Great Value Magnum Champagne

    June 8, 2018

    We have long been obsessed with Champagne aged in magnum and always encourage friends and customers to choose magnums over bottles. However, many are put off by the price premium. Here we highlight some of the best value magnums available on the market today.

  42. Global Launch of Bollinger R.D. 2004

    March 23, 2018

    Yesterday we attended the launch of Bollinger R.D. 2004. A champagne that has aged on the lees for 12+ years is now tasting delightfully fresh and forward, with all the complexity of a recent disgorgment. We also experimented with the effects of different dosages and disgorgements on R.D.

  43. Krug Vertical Tasting: 1988-2004

    February 1, 2018

    Last year, we blind tasted every vintage of Krug produced since 1988 with Olivier Krug and Jancis Robinson MW. With over ten vintages, a Grande Cuvée and a magnum thrown in for good measure, it was a truly special occasion.

  44. Christmas Champagne Gift-Wrapping

    December 14, 2017

    With Christmas fast approaching, we’re busy gift-wrapping all your presents and delivering them within 2 hours in London! With five different colours to choose from and a selection of handwritten cards, gifting has never been so easy.

  45. Dom Ruinart Rosé Vertical Tasting

    November 10, 2017

    We were invited to a weekend at The Savoy for a vertical tasting of Dom Ruinart Rosé champagnes with head winemaker Frédéric Panaïotis. With 2002, 1998 and 1988 on show, it was a stunning showcase of pink champagne.

  46. Charles Heidsieck Collection Crayères

    November 8, 2017

    Charles Heidsieck have revealed a treasured collection of old vintages named ‘Collection Crayères’. Released in extremely limited quantities, we are pleased to offer five incredible vintages, in bottle and magnum, from the 1980s.

  47. New Release: Moët Grand Vintage 2009

    November 1, 2017

    Last week, Moët & Chandon launched Grand Vintage 2009. As is customary with a new release, they also launched two Grand Vintage Collections, 2002 and 1990. Read the review of our tasting with head winemaker, Benoît Gouez.