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.
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.
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.
In early March, we met with President of Pol Roger Laurent d’Harcourt at the winery in Épernay to taste the 2018 base wines and conduct a vertical tasting of Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs vintages, dating from 1986-2012.
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.
Our 2018 Champagne Review takes a look back at an eventful year for the world’s best sparkling wine, highlighting the news stories that made headlines, including stunning new releases; a record-breaking harvest; world-class tasting events; and a first for English sparkling wine.
With vintage 2008 currently dominating the attention of the champagne trade and associated media outlets, we decided to organise a tasting of champagne pairs from 2008 and 2009 (hosted by Jancis Robinson MW), to objectively compare the merits of both vintages and evaluate the price premium and superiority of 2008.
This week, we have a range of vintage champagnes on offer for our weekly Christmas promotion, including magnums of new Louis Roederer Brut Vintage 2012 and Taittinger Brut Vintage 2012, and 11% off the world-class Piper-Heidsieck 2008.
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.
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.
