Ultimate Champagne Evening 2019: Year-end notes on a memorable tasting
Every year, our mouths water with anticipation ahead of our Ultimate Champagne Prestige Cuvée Evening and this year was no exception. As we already pointed out in the event’s photo gallery this might have been our best-ever edition!
Such an amazing line up of exclusive cuvées and such an engaging group of guests!
As the year (and decade!) comes to an end we celebrate the achievement of the growers and chefs-de-cave that worked to produce these outstanding wines in times of great environmental and economic challenges.
Check our tasting notes for our 2019 ultimate cuvées and may the future bring more and better (if such a thing is possible!) wines for all of us to toast achievements and landmark moments in 2020!
Happy New Year!
We look forward to seeing you at our Champagne and Sparkling Wine Festival on April 30th.
Salon Delamotte
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2012
Elegant and complex from the outset, the nose layered with apple blossom,. Lemon rind zestiness, gentle toastiness and a subtle, delicious saltiness. The palate is lean albeit structured, with citrusy vibrancy and a lingering, moreish minerality supported by a mouth-watering acidity.
Salon Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 2007
Classic and textural, already showing a beautiful development that is certainly still in bloom . There’s an enticing richness to the nose, with toast and biscuit notes. The palate is broad, the underlying structure brought to live by the forefront freshness of green apples and lime zest. The amazing grip makes this Champagne an ideal companion to food. But so delicious to have on its own as well!
Cattier
Clos du Moulin Brut Premier Cru
A challenging pour, dividing opinions. A very characterful palate surprises following a deceivingly restrained nose. This is a particularly idiosyncratic expression of the Clos du Moulin single vineyard, full of sour berries (gooseberries, cranberries, elderberry), lime zest and a umami edge. One that will pair perfectly with a board of intense cheeses.
Clos du Moulin Brut Premier cru - Cuvée 100 ans
Certainly one of the evening’s stars. A blend of the 1996, 1998 and 1999 vintages that shows the robustness of a wine that has spent 20+ years on the lees, alongside surprising youthfulness and vibrancy. The nose is poised and nuanced, with a floral touch hovering over intense citrus, toasted almonds and a hint of smoke. A wonderful elegance and precision holds a complex and diverse array of flavours: butterscotch, glazed pineapple, apple strudel and poached pear. An outstanding wine that can handle a meat dish but deserves to be enjoyed at length and on its own.
Louis Roederer
This vintage of Cristal spent 10 years in bottle before its commercial release and it’s certainly showing the benefits of waiting before popping the cork. Patience does bring rewards with this 2008 being full of complexity but also promising great development ahead. The saline character carries through an intense but so well-integrated array of flavours, lusciously coating the mouth in a broad mid-palate. Amazing length and precision. A memorable pour.
If the 2008 shows robustness hand-in-hand with elegance, the 2005 shows the full harmony this cooperation can lead to. Subtlety, creaminess and softness envelop gentle but well defined aromas of lemon curd, apple peel and roasted almond. A pure expression of Chardonnay and of a classic Cristal vintage.
Charles Heidsieck
The evening’s crowd pleaser and not for no reason. Charles Heidsieck 2008 has an amazing structure but also a smoothness that makes it a true pleasure to drink. The smooth texture is driven by a gentle yet precise acidity. The nose’s gentle toastiness – giving complexity to apple and citrus notes – carries on to the broad, seducing palate, rich in cooked apple and sweet spices flavours.
'Collection Crayères' Brut Millésimé 1989 Jeroboam
Another one of the evening’s treats – and certainly the most instagrammed bottle of the night – full of the character you would expect from a premium Champagne given time to develop and broaden its whole range of aromas and flavours. With an amazing umami character – think mushroom, salted almonds and Cheshire cheese – affirmatively (but not imposingly) rounding the broad palate. There’s also an enticing buttery richness – apple crumble, almond croissant – that is never overwhelming and culminates in a long, elegant finish topped by graphite and wood smoke.
Philipponnat
There’s a reticence and restraint about this 1522 that will make you wonder if it’s not worth keeping this bottle for a while. The fact that this Rosé is made with 10% Pinot Noir vinified red gives it broad shoulders, a tannic edge and clear-shaped fruit characters of red cherries, pink grapefruit and plums. Lean, elegant with a strong zesty back palate but overall a bit shy. Will be interesting to see how it develops in coming years. One to watch as it might flourish beautifully.
The L.V. stands for Long Vieillessement (long ageing) which means that this vintage was aged for twenty five years before being disgorged. Only 3665 were produced in 1995 and those we tasted on December 10th come from a lot of only 933 disgorged on July 2nd 2019.
Another cuvée with strong character, necessarily dividing opinions: you either love or hate the earthy intensity and seaweed umami of this wine. Indifference is not an option. We certainly fall into the first category but agree that the intensity of flavour needs the right mood and the right food to go with it. Incredible length – again dominated by umami flavours of cooked mushroom and dried herbs – and a wide mid-palate with rich cooked apple and brown sourdough.