Comite Champagne Annual Tasting - London 2011

Last week was the 2011 Annual Champagne Tasting in London hosted by the Comite Champagne. This is one of the most anticipated events on the champagne calendar in the UK. It's a great opportunity for the trade to meet the people behind some of the legendary champagne houses, as well as some humble growers making exceptional champagnes. It is often the first chance the trade have to taste new releases and this year was no exception.

Events like this are a perfect opportunity to taste champagnes side by side. You can compare champagnes from the same vintage, champagnes with similar blends and champagnes from the same region. This gives you a great insight into what defines each champagne house.

With 68 brands showing their champagnes and over 200 champagnes on show it was impossible to taste everything, so my game plan was to concentrate on slightly lesser known houses, which I think will grow in profile over the next few years.

Here are my top 3's for the event:

Money no object best champagnes:

1) Bollinger Grand Anne 2002 (available nationwide) - a superstar champagne from a great Pinot Noir vintage.

2) Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blanc 1999 - an expressive champagne which is entering its drinking window, but will age beautifully for at least 10 years.

3) Delamotte Blanc de Blanc 1999 (Oddbins) - this is a really unique champagne which will really suit lovers of white Burgundies. 

Champagne houses to watch:

1) Bruno Paillard - this is a champagne house with the upmost standards. They only use the first press grapes, age each champagne for a minimum of 3 years and use a low dosage to allow the flavours to really express themselves. (full profile to follow)

2) Delamotte - Delamotte is the sister house of Salon and has a reputation for sourcing top chardonnay grapes from the top Cotes de Blanc communes of Le Mesnil, Oger and Avize. Quality has been on the rise since it was acquired by the Laurant-Perrier group 

3) Philipponnat - This house has already got a great reputation amongst champagne connoisseurs but I think it has the quality to hit the mainstream. 

Best Value Champagnes:

1) Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Vintage 2004 (£19 in Majestic) - there is a lot of quality out of the 2004 vintage. This champagne shows complexity way beyond its price point. It has pure fruit and lovely bread-like characters which a lot of cheaper champagnes cannot achieve.

2) Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru 2004 £29.44 (Waitrose) -At £30 this isn't particularly cheap but the fruit is sourced from some of the best vineyards in the Cote de Blanc and the 2004 vintage was a great vintage. This champagne has very vivacious bubbles and citrusy fruit with floral high notes. It has a balanced acidity and will continue to get better for the next 5 years.

3) Delemotte Brut NV £25 (available nationwide) - top grapes go into this chardonnay-dominated blend. It even takes grapes from vineyards that go into the fabled Salon champagnes. This champagne has a fruit-forward style with delicate pear and citrus flavours and a fine bead of bubbles.

Jacques Cartier brut NV

When this Negociant champagne first came to me I was a bit hasty to form an opinion on it. Try as I might, I couldn't help looking at the bottle and thinking, "Here's another average tasting, sub £20 champage which is destined for a corner shop near you." I have to admit that, when I first tried it, I wasn't hugely impressed by the wine inside either, but on my second tasting I had a bit more time to deliberate. It has a striking colour; bright and golden. On the nose it has quite a reductive character but it brings interesting orange peel notes with it, as well as a strong, toasty core. But what about the taste...? Surprisingly good. The orange peel flavours carry through to the palete and bring with them robust, toasted-brioche, low notes. It is a Pinot Meurnier dominent blend and this explains the robust nature of this champagne. Dare I say it, this has a similar flavour profile to Bollinger Brut NV, it's just a little bit less complete.

Jacques cartier is by no means a world-beater, but for the money, it is a solid champagne which I am happy to recommend to price conscious consumers.

Deal of the Week - Perrier Jouet Grand Brut NV - £20 at Majestic

This is the cheapest I have seen PJ for years. Its a fantastic grande marque champagne for those of you who prefer a lighter, Chardonnay dominated style. This deal is only on for 2 weeks so it is well worth getting a case in preparation for some summer al fresco drinking

What Majestic say "A well-priced Champagne of considerable charm. Perrier-Jouët is light, certainly, but displays a lovely weight of soft-apple fruit and an easy-drinking, well balanced style that make it extremely popular."

Good Valentines Day Champagne Deals

Here are a few supermarket deals on at the moment which caught my eye. Buy one for Valentines and one for the cupboard.

Lanson Rose Brut NV £17.40 in Tescos - light with red berry fruits, this is a good partner for all the chocolates you will be gorging on! Don't be put off by the hidious limited edition bottle.

Nicholas Feuillate NV £14 in Morrisons (£14.49 in Tescos) - One of my favourites out of the more reasonably priced champagne houses. The tangy green apple flavours are nicely balanced by the trademark yeasty notes.

Taittinger Brut Reserve NV £23.32 in Sainsburys - Though Taittinger has devalued over the passed year or so, the liquid in the bottle is still great. Taittinger, traditionally, has a high proportion of Chardonney in the blend which gives it a lovely perfume and a light, elegant nature. This is perfect to get your juices flowing before the big meal.

 

Lanson £14.74 at Sainsburys until the 8th February!

With Valentines day around the corner now is a good time to keep an eye out for some tasty drinks deals in the supermarkets. This one from Sainsbury's is a good one to start us off.

Lanson is generally in the cheaper end of the Grand Marque champagne scale but it's not a champagne to be sniffed at. Lanson is one of the oldest champagne houses around and was founded back in 1760. Traditionally is very light and acidic in youth with heaps of mouthwatering, citrus flavours. This is due to it not going through malolactic fermentation like the majority of other big name champagnes. It makes it the ideal partner for simple fish dishes. Try it as a partner to oysters as well, they are a match made in heaven. The lemony flavours cut through the juicy oysters perfectly and leave your pallet cleans and refreshed.

It is worth mentioning that this is not the ideal champagne to drink on its own. The high acidity levels could leave you with terrible heart burn!

Any Excuse for a Party

Choosing party wines is always a tricky balancing act between price and quality. You don't want to spend all of your budget on expensive wines when, if you look hard enough, you can get decent wines at a reasonable price. We are bombarded with special offers at this time of year but a vast majority of the wines on these offers are not up to scratch. Here are a few pointers I always stick to when buying party wines.

1) Generally I buy two bottles of white wine for every red wine but in winter months people tend to go for red wine more regularly so half and half should be ok.

2) I would allow about half a bottle per guest and then get a few bottles extra just in case you are all having a particularly good time. A lot of wine merchants allow sales and return.

3) Even if you have a huge budget don't go straight for expensive, rich Cabernets and buttery Chardonnays. Firstly, the high levels of tannin in rich red wines mean your guests teeth will stain really easily and secondly, these kind of wines are often high in alcohol and heavy may get your guests a bit raucous. For red wines look at alcohol levels below 13% and for white below 12%. Here are some light wines to look out for:

• REDS - Red burgundy, Chianti, Rioja, Beaujolais Village (look for 2009 vintage Beaujolais, one of the best vintages in the regions history)
• WHITES - German Riesling, Marlborough Sauvignons, Muscadet, Italian varietals such as Verdicchio, Gavi and Pinot Grigio

4) There are some great value sparkling wines on the market. Cava is experiencing a renaissance period and many vintage Cavas have champagne-esque nuances. Cava is made using the "traditional method" in which champagne is made and many good Cavas use the same grape varietals as well. Prosecco is another good option. It is light and usually slightly off-dry, so it refreshes your mouth between canapes. It is also generally pretty low in alcohol.

Good Light Reds 

Chateau Mont Milan 2007 - This Decanter Gold Medalist has attractive, light-red fruit flavours and a pleasant dry finish. Its is very food friendly and only £4.99 if you buy 2 bottles or more at Majestic.

Castillo de San Lorenzo Rioja Reserva - This is half price in Tesco from the 1st December until the 4th January and is priced at £4.99 a bottle. It has classic Rioja style with spicy, dried fruits and well integrated woody flavours and is only 12.5% abv.

Fresh Whites

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc - Everyone knows Oyster Bay, its a guaranteed winner at most parties. Its light, zesty and clean and is £5 in tescos until the 5th of December.

The Chateau de Ligny and Villa Maria from my earlier posts are perfect for parties too.

Sparkling

Lindauer Special Reserve Brut Cuvee NV - This is £8.35 a bottle at Waitrose until the 4th of January. It's made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes (like Champagne), goes through a second fermentation in the bottle (like Champagne) and is aged for 2 years on its sediment to give it extra body and richness. It has a pretty, pink blush colour and has lots of rich, red fruit flavour and a touch of creaminess. 

Codorniu Brut NV is £5.99 at Sainsburys until the 4th of January. It has a pleasant apple pie-like character which would work nicely with pork and chicken dishes as well as many fruit based desserts.

News Flash - Heidsieck Gold Top 2004/2005

Just a quick post to let you all know Heidsieck Gold Top 2004/2005 is £14.99 at Majestic until 3pm on Monday 29th. Heidsieck Gold Top has quite a high proportion of Pinot Noir in it which gives it a rich, full bodied taste. If you can, try and get the 2004 vintage. 2004 had a cool early summer which helped give a nice freshness to the finished wines and a warm September which allowed the grapes to ripen fully. At £14.99 it's a fantastic, recession busting vintage champagne. The 2004 vintage a Decanter World Wine Awards Silver medalist but don't forget you must buy a minimum of 6 bottles at Majestic.