Tag: magnum

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Champagne 2019: Year in Review

    February 15, 2020

    Our 2019 Champagne Review takes a look back at an eventful year for the world’s best sparkling wine, highlighting the best new releases from around the region.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. 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!

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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.

  19. 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.

  20. 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.

  21. 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.

  22. 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.

  23. 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.

  24. 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.

  25. Rare Champagne + Mellerio Jewellers = Le Secret

    November 12, 2018

    Last week, we had lunch with Régis Camus, Rare Champagne Cellar Master, and Diane-Sophie Lanselle, Communications Director at Mellerio, to discuss the now unclassified Rare Le Secret project and find out what inspired this great partnership.

  26. Laurent-Perrier and Veuve Clicquot Special Offers

    November 9, 2018

    The second in our series of weekly Christmas promotions sees special offers on Laurent-Perrier and Veuve Clicquot. With La Cuvée NV, Cuvée Rosé NV, Extra Brut Extra Old MV and Yellow Label NV Magnums on offer, there’s something to please every palate!

  27. 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.

  28. 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.

  29. The Next Outstanding Vintage: 2012

    September 19, 2018

    Vintage 2008 has been stealing all the headlines lately but what about the future? Despite low yields due to frost and hail in the early season, a perfect August produced exceptionally mature and healthy grapes in 2012. Is this the next outstanding vintage?

  30. Champagne: Glossary of Terms

    August 14, 2018

    Popping a cork has become so synonymous with celebration that the particularly unique vinous qualities of Champagne can be easily overlooked. Here we shed light on the complexities of our favourite effervescent tipple, by defining some of the key terms involved in Champagne and its production.

  31. 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.

  32. 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.

  33. 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.

  34. Taittinger: 2017 Vins Clairs and Comtes de Champagne 2008

    April 27, 2018

    Despite the complicated growing season, Taittinger produced some delicious Chardonnay base wines in 2017. We tasted a range of vins clairs with winemaker Loïc Dupont, who has produced a small amount of Comtes de Champagne 2017.

  35. 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.

  36. 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.

  37. 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.

  38. 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.

  39. 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.

  40. The Future According to Taittinger

    October 20, 2017

    Our trip to Reims in August included a smorgasbord of Taittinger: over twenty champagne tasted with head winemaker Loïc Dupont, including an interesting look into the future with Comtes de Champagne 2008 and 2012.

  41. TFB Launch Night – A Review

    December 15, 2014

    “Champagnes …. each and every one is different and totally worth encountering.”
    A prodigious review of the evening by one of our guests.

  42. TFB Launch Night – Part 1

    December 5, 2014

    Our launch night was a huge success and took place at Moët Hennessy’s London office. Here is Part 1 of our video coverage, featuring Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 1998 from magnum.