
The Friday Bubble – Review of Louis Roederer Rose 2016 alongside Rose 2012 in Magnum
August 14, 2023
Today on The Friday Bubble with Essi Avellan MW and Nick Baker, Louis Roederer’s new release Rose 2016 75cl bottle and Rose 2012 Magnum.
Today on The Friday Bubble with Essi Avellan MW and Nick Baker, Louis Roederer’s new release Rose 2016 75cl bottle and Rose 2012 Magnum.
The Finest Bubble would like to invite you to a Champagne Recent Releases tasting hosted by Nick Baker on Thursday 8th June 2023, 18:30-20:00.
This week on the English Bubble with Richard Bampfield MW, Wiston Blanc de Blancs 2015 and 2010 Recently disgorged.
Today on the Friday Bubble, we compare the new release of Dom Perignon Vintage 2013 and compare to its predecessor Dom Perignon 2012.
This week on The Friday Bubble, Essi Avellan MW and Nick Baker review Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature Blanc & Rose 2015.
This week on The Friday Bubble, Rare Rose 2012 with Chief Winemaker Emilien Boutillat and Nick Baker TFB Founder.
Today on The Friday Bubble with Essi Avellan and I discuss the new release of Laurent-Perrier Vintage 2012
Essi Avellan and I taste the new release of Louis Roederer Collection 243 and compare it to its predecessor 242.
Explore with us an in depth look at this latest release from Dom Pérignon 2004 P2 with Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon
Club Oenologique have released the first part of 2022 Champagne Report. The report spans from Non-Vintages to recent releases.
Today on The Friday Bubble we are introducing Palmer Grands Terroirs or “Great Terroirs” with Palmer & Co Grands Terroirs 2012 Magnum & 2015
Today on The Friday Bubble, Essi Avellan MW and Nick Baker TFB Founder introduce Champagne Domaine La Borderie
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.
Introducing only the sixth release of Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires Blanc de Blancs since 1983, 2006 is the latest release.
A new chapter of Dom Pérignon opens with release of the 2010 vintage. To date the only large Maison to release a Prestige Cuvee from 2010 and we aren’t expecting many more maybe Dom Ruinart 2010.
“2009 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is a great wine with a lot of complexity. It is perhaps more immediately appealing and powerful than the 2008” Hubert de Billy. Reviews and launch event round-up here.
Our previous write-up highlighted what a spectacular year 2019 was for champagne. The good news? 2020 is set to be even bigger! In this article, we look to the future and discuss which champagnes we can expect to be released in 2020.
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.
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.
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.
A year of big change for Laurent-Perrier sees the release of a brand new cuvée, Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV, and the introduction of Grand Siècle ‘Iterations’, which will from now onwards be numbered, allowing consumers to discern information about their specific bottle.
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.
Laurent-Perrier have just launched their latest vintage champagne: Vintage 2008. Chef de Cave Michel Fauconnet described 2008 as one of his “favourite years for vinification” and it’s easy to see why. The enriched texture from extended lees ageing makes this the best vintage from Laurent-Perrier since Vintage 2002.
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.
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.
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.
Today, Pol Roger launch their eagerly anticipated Brut Vintage 2012, following the release of Blanc de Blancs 2012 last month. From a vintage whose reputation rivals that of both 2002 and 2008, these champagnes are highly anticipated by critics and consumers alike.
With a red wine content of more than 20% and having spent 10+ years ageing on the lees, it is perhaps unsurprising Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon describes new Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006 as one of his favourite ever vintages.
Veuve Clicquot launched the much awaited La Grande Dame 2008 and La Grande Dame Rosé 2008 in London this week. We tasted them with Chef de Cave Dominique Demarville, who has combined depth and silkiness with lightness and elegance in these superb new cuvées.
Based in the Grand Cru village of Chouilly, Vazart-Coquart have access to some of the greatest vineyards in the whole of Champagne. Their new release, Special Club 2010, is an exquisite example of the power of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.
Last week, Ruinart launched the latest iteration of their prestige cuvée champagne: Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2007. The brilliant young winemaker Caroline Fiot was in London to present the new release, alongside the house NV cuvée and the previous vintage of Dom Ruinart.
After a wait of over 6 months, one of the most anticipated champagnes of the century – Dom Pérignon 2008 – has finally arrived. Described by legendary Chef de Cave, Richard Geoffroy, as “a miracle year,” demand will certainly be high. Secure you allocation now.
Last year, Charles Heidsieck announced they would annually release a treasured collection of old vintages called Collection Crayères. The 2018 collection is a celebration of Chardonnay: every vintage of Blanc des Millénaires produced since 1983.
Rare Champagne, the prestige brand of Piper-Heidsieck, have been keeping a secret for more than twenty years. They partnered with Mellerio, the oldest jewellery dynasty in the world, to produce an exceptional cuvée, Rare Le Secret, which the house finally revealed this week.
Pol Roger launched their much-awaited prestige cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2008 in London this evening. After the success of their Brut Vintage 2008, described as “one of their greatest ever years”, expectations for the prestige cuvée are sky-high.
Champagne fanatic and life-long Pol Roger devotee Peter Crawford recently tasted a bottle of Sir Winston Churchill 2008 at the house in Épernay. With its release imminent, Crawford’s tasting note suggests it may exceed expectations.
Since 1988, Nyetimber have been busy revolutionising English sparkling wine and this week they raised the bar again with the launch of their new prestige cuvée range ‘1086’. We tasted the new vintage-dated sparkling white and sparkling rosé at The Ritz launch event.
Louis Roederer recently revealed that a very limited quantity of original disgorgement Cristal 2002 and Cristal Rosé 2002 were kept in the cellars in Reims for additional bottle ageing. Now 9 years post-disgorgemt, a small number have been re-released into the market.
Last year, Pol Roger described Sir Winston Churchill 2008 as “the best vintage since 1988 and the most investible Churchill we’ve ever made.” Due for release in Autumn 2018, we look forward to what is certain to be one of the most exciting releases this year.
The long-awaited Louis Roederer Cristal 2008 was officially launched in London on Monday evening. Jean-Baptiste Lécailon described it as “the most Cristal of all Cristals”. Having already been awarded 100/100 from many critics, is this the best ever vintage?
After much anticipation, Dom Pérignon have finally revealed their latest vintage: Dom Pérignon 2008. Launching what could be one of their best ever vintages at the wonderful La Résidence de France in London on Tuesday, the house also revealed Dom Pérignon P3 1990.
Although not officially launching in London until next week, the long-awaited Dom Pérignon 2008 was revealed – along with veteran Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy’s retirement – in Champagne earlier this week. Here’s what we know so far.
Rarely is a champagne launch met with as much excitement as that surrounding Louis Roederer Cristal 2008 – tipped to be the best ever vintage. Set to hit the market within the next month, here we provide an overview of our previous tastings and outline what to expect from this remarkable release.
Charles Heidsieck were one of the first houses to make an all-Chardonnay champagne, back in 1947. In a tribute to their rich history of Chardonnay, the house revealed a brand new cuvée last week: Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs NV.
Last week saw the official launch of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2007. New Chef de Cave Alexandre Ponnavoy was in London to discuss the latest vintage, which will be a very limited and rare release.
When in Reims last month, we visited Charles Heidsieck to taste their exciting brand new cuvée Blanc de Blancs NV and sampled a magnum of Champagne Charlie 1982 from their Collection Crayères range.
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.
Krug Rosé will from here onwards be following the example of Grande Cuvée and be displaying its Edition on the front label. The first release, Krug Rosé Edition 21 NV, is based on the magnificent 2008 vintage.
New Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2009 is a wonderfully fresh, fruit-forward champagne from a generous and warm vintage. We tasted it alongside the previous release – Pol Roger 2008 – for comparison.
The latest release of Krug Grande Cuvée, Edition 165 NV, is the smallest and rarest batch of Grande Cuvée ever. Just released in the UK, this is a classically world-class Krug: a stunning champagne based on a unique vintage.
We kicked off 2018 with the launch event of the long-awaited Blanc des Millénaires 2004. Director of Charles Heidsieck, Stephen Leroux, presented this stunning champagne and we also had a taste of the new rosé vintage: Rosé Millésime 2005.
The latest iteration of Bollinger R.D. (Recently Disgorged) will hit the market in late-March 2018. Here we share our thoughts on the bottle of Bollinger R.D. 2004 that we tasted with cellar master Gilles Descôtes last year.
After twelve years of waiting, we finally have a new vintage: Blanc des Millénaires 2004. Not yet officially launched, but available to purchase in February 2018, here we share our tasting notes from a bottle sampled with cellar master Cyril Brun.
Last year, Laurent-Perrier announced that their brut non-vintage – the fifth best-selling champagne in the world – was to be discontinued and replaced with an entirely original blend. The new champagne, La Cuvée NV, proved to be an instant hit, winning a Gold medal at CSWWC 2017. Read our review here.
Champagne Lanson recently launched their Noble Cuvée Brut 2002. We tasted it with head winemaker Hervé Dantan alongside the new organic champagne ‘Green Label’ and the next Clos Lanson 2007 – due next year.
Piper Heidsieck recently released their first ever rosé vintage of the esteemed prestige cuvée Rare. We tasted it with head winemaker Régis Camus alongside Essentiel NV – also just launched in the UK – and some old vintages of Rare.
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.
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.
Is there a better way to spend a Sunday evening than dinner with Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon at the Louis Roederer family mansion? We tasted new Cristal 2008 and the exclusive late-release Cristal Vinothèque 1995.
During August bank holiday weekend we stopped in Épernay with Jancis Robinson MW for a comprehensive comparison of Pol Roger Brut Vintage and Sir Winston Churchill, dating back to 1993. All in the name of research!
Yesterday, Krug launched their new Vintage 2004 in London. This latest release completes a special trilogy of Krug Vintages – 2002, 2003 & 2004 – not seen since the late 80s. We tasted it with Olivier Krug today.
Last month, the tiny yet ultra-prestigious Champagne Salon released their latest vintage: Salon Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 2006. Just the 40th release since its inception in 1905, this is another seriously rare cuvée with outstanding ageing potential. Read tasting notes and more info here.
Each year, the expert winemaking team at Krug blend over 120 wines to make an entirely new creation of Krug Grande Cuvée. The latest release, Edition 164 – based on the outstanding 2008 vintage – may just be the best one yet.
In 2003, the biggest name in wine turned their attention to the sparkling variety and founded Champagne Barons de Rothschild. We tasted the full range at the London Wine Fair in May with Managing Director, Frédéric Mairesse. Read our thoughts here.
Dom Pérignon launched their new Brut Vintage 2009 last month before 2008 – the first time in history they have skipped a vintage. We tasted it alongside 2003 and 2006 with head winemaker Richard Geoffroy, who described it as “majestic and persistent”.
Champagne Lanson have just released the new Extra Age range! An exciting blend of the 2004, 2005 & 2006 vintages, we tasted them with Lanson UK Managing Director, Paul Beavis at 67 Pall Mall and were seriously impressed with their affordable quality.
Yesterday, Veuve Clicquot launched their new Champagne, Extra Brut Extra Old at the Moët Hennessy offices in London. We tasted it with Chef de Caves, Dominique Demarville at the winery in Reims last month. It’s good!!
Dom Pérignon P2 2000 was released this week. We tasted it alongside P2 1998 at the Rosewood Hotel launch in London with winemaker Vincent Chaperon. Lively and energetic, this is really exciting Champagne.
With 40% of Cristal 2009 harvested from biodynamic vineyards, this is a perfect example of how changing the viticulture can subtly affect a Champagne’s style. Will these effects manifest equally as this percentage increases?
Pol Roger launched their latest release, Brut Vintage 2008 last Thursday at Kensington Palace. Pol are already claiming it to be one of their best ever years and we’re inclined to agree…
Lanson Noble Cuvée Blanc de Blancs 2002 is probably the last prestige cuvée release from the already fabled vintage. Now the 2002’s are all available, read why we think this is one of the best.
Krug Clos Du Mesnil 2002 – a stunning new release. Champagne from the most famous single vineyards in Champagne
Watch the creation of this magnificent Saint Louis Crystal ice bucket made for Champagne Bollinger’s SPECTRE Limited Edition release.
Bollinger, James Bond’s favourite Champagne, have released several limited edition Champagne’s to coincide with the secret agent’s latest blockbuster; Spectre. Click through for details.
Just the fourth vintage from this legendary Grand Cru vineyard, Krug released Clos d’Ambonnay 2000 earlier this month. We tasted it last week at the LVMH offices, read our thoughts here.
Just five months after the 2005 release, we are expecting Dom Pérignon 2006 to be released before the end of 2015 – likely in the next month. What, if anything, do we know about this next vintage DP?
Taittinger have just released the latest expression of their prestige cuvée: Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2006 – and what a release it is already proving to be! Read our review here.
The Finest Bubble attended the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards last night. A great location, celebrating some amazing talent and the new Cristal 2007 to boot. Bravo!
This week sees the release of the fourth edition of The Oxford Companion To Wine. With 300 new entries, covering nearly a decade’s worth of new developments; this is even more in-depth than ever.
We tasted Pol Roger’s newest release Sir Winston Churchill 2004. This marks the 15th release of Pol Roger’s prestige cuvée, an incredibly full-bodied champagne. Read our preview to the official launch.
Released this year, Bollinger La Grande Anneé 2005 is truly Bollinger’s own version of the vintage. Find out more here
Pol Roger’s new release of 2008 Blanc de Blancs is the ‘best ever’ according to the managing director of Pol Roger UK. Find out more here
We tasted the new Dom Pérignon 2005 alongside the previous vintage, 2004. Richard Geoffroy and his team have produced something spectacular, and from a tough vintage.
Read what we think of Dom Pérignon’s latest release, the Rosé 2004. “All the richness of fruit that is so typical of the 2004 Blanc and the Rosé offers even more…”
The next vintage of Dom Pérignon is almost here – but what do we know about the 2005 already?