VIP Champagne Dinner 2024
At the end of the day, we don't think the name is as important as the wines that are on show and this year's line-up is very exciting. With a selection from houses like Bollinger, Charles Heidesieck, and Pol Roger the top end of town is well covered with some incredible vintage expressions and prestige cuvees. These are wines that each year we wait with anticipation to see what the top end of Champagne can turn out and this year is looking pretty special.
Two of our favourite of Growers Champagne houses return with vintage release from Vilmart and Pierre Peters alongside some bottled brilliance with Larmandier Bernier, Laherte Freres. We are also excited to showcase for the first time Frederic Savart an up and coming start of Champagne and Henri Giraud one of our new favourite Indy houses.
Together we aim to highlight the great energy of the region, the diversity of styles and in particular winemaking philosophies that all contribute to making Champagne such a unique and special prospect in the vinous world.
Enjoy!
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Vilmart Ratafia de Champagne 500mlThe 2013 Ratafia (Chardonnay) is laced with hints of dried fruit, almond, dried flowers and chamomile. It offers gorgeous complexity, along with notable energy and freshness. It is a very fine, elegant Ratafia. ANTONIO GALLONI
100% chardonnay from premier cru sites in village Rilly-la-Montagne of Montagne de Reims. Fermentation is stopped before completion by adding young grape spirit resulting in a sweet, full-flavoured wine that is delicate and oh so elegant. A must have for the festive season alongside Nan's pavlova or a stinky wash rind cheese. (serve chilled)
Candied apricots, lemon curd and cashew nut, instantly we know we are onto a great thing here! On tasting, we see wild honey on buttered toast with orange peel and white nectarine, all laced around stoney minerality. The impeccable balance of flavour intensity, residual sugar and grape spirit is remarkable. Persistent length is matched with refreshment. Finesse through and through. KAYLEEN REYNOLDS
NVchardonnayFrance376$90.00 As low as $81.00 -
Henri Giraud Grand Cru MV18The MV 18 is a classic Giraud Champagne. Apricot jam, tangerine peel, spice, honey and hazelnut give this mid-weight, classy Champagne tons of complexity and nuance. Readers will find a Champagne of notable purity and finesse. There's plenty of Giraud intensity, but in a mid-weight style that is hugely appealing. The blend is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, all from Aÿ, based on 2018, with a blend of reserve wines that span vintages 1990 through 2017. Disgorged: November 14, 2022. ANTONIO GALLONI
This is the bottled essence of Henri Giraud, with the unmissable stamp of Aÿ Pinot Noir. Child of the ripe, voluminous yet fine 2018 vintage, this is replenished with wine from the house's famous perpetual reserve, created in 1990, and is loaded with promise. On the nose, the generous and bold fruitiness is seamlessly integrated into the soft, smoky oaky tones. Dried apricots and sweet nectarines meet exotic spices and candied orange. The concentration does not amount to too much on the pulpy-juicy palate. Prickly bubbles bring a notion of vibrancy and freshness to the rich whole. ESSI AVELLAM MWChampagneFrance376$595.00 As low as $535.50 -
Pol Roger Winston Churchill 2015The 2015 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill shows off the savory side of the vintage to great effect. Hints of dried pear, sage, mint, dried flowers, lemon oil and chamomile open gradually in this mid-weight, lithe edition of Pol Roger's tête de cuvée. The 2015 unfolds nicely with time in the glass, but I wouldn't think of opening a bottle anytime soon. Readers will find a nervy Winston Churchill marked by notable freshness and vigor more than size. This is a fine effort in a vintage that has proven to be far trickier than most observers originally envisioned. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged September 2022. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
A strong effort in a less-acclaimed vintage, Pol Roger's newly released 2015 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill opens in the glass with aromas of confit citrus, ripe orchard fruits and dried white flowers mingled with hints of honeycomb, freshly baked bread and anise. Medium to full-bodied, vinous and concentrated, with bright acids, chalky structuring extract and a pinpoint mousse, this inherently rather rich, gastronomic Champagne is quite tightly wound out of the gates and will reward a bit of bottle age. Stylistically, it is somewhat reminiscent of a modern-day version of the 1985. (94+) WILLIAM KELLEY, The Wine Advocate
Subtle and restrained pastry nuances with a hint of mushroom. Lots of seriousness and generosity of fruit but in a more restrained, quiet style. Gentle autolysis with mellow apple flesh and some earthiness, bright and classic. Elegant, with reserve wine complexity. Brisk on the finish with a nougat edge. Great stuff. DECANTER2015ChampagneFrance376$535.00 As low as $481.50 -
Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee 2016With crystalline purity and more tension than any other wine in this year’s lineup, Vilmart’s 2016 Coeur de Cuvée has put up a stellar performance. Disgorged in September 2022 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, it hails from 60-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Les Blanches Voies—the same five-hectare vineyard that provides their Blanc de Blancs. Matured in 228-liter barrels, mostly from Damy, it wafts from the glass with a deep bouquet of lemon zest, white flowers and green apple. Taut and incisive, with impressive mid-palate amplitude, racy acidity and ample chalky structuring extract, it culminates with a long, saline finish. This is an elegant Champagne that will captivate purists, offering greater precision and nuance than the 2017 vintage of this cuvée. As ever, it’s crafted from the least fruit-forward, most acid-driven press fraction—just 68%—representing the heart of the cuvée. KRISTAPS KARKLINS
Vilmart are proud owners of a vast amount of old vines on the majestic Blanche Voies in Rilly-la-Montagne. Produced from the very best 'heart' of the pressing only, this long-ageing wine receives significant oak impact, yet takes it so well already. Dense and profound on the silky flowing palate of great concentration and stunning acid line. This one is best forgotten in the cellar for a few years for even more layers and richness. ESSI AVELLAN MW…a bit more shy at this stage on the nose compared to the Grand Cellier D'Or, with notes of lemon candies, green apples, baking spices, and delicate fresh baked brioche. Driving, with more linear persistence in its acidity, it's citrus-driven on the palate, with a zesty, spritely mousse and a clean, chalky finish with just a hint of bitter citrus. This one feels as though it needs more time at this stage to open up and come around, but it has a lot of potential. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years. Drink: 2024-2040. AUDREY FRICKE
The 2016 Brut Coeur de Cuvée is just as impressive as it was last year. It offers a captivating marriage of textural depth and energy, classic Vilmart signatures. Candied citrus, slate, chalk, mint, sage and white pepper confer notable vibrancy throughout. Readers will find a Champagne endowed with considerable dimension and presence. The long finish reverberates effortlessly. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: September 2022. Drink: 2025-2036. ANTONIO GALLONI
2016chardonnay, Pinot noirFrance376$360.00 As low as $324.00 -
Bollinger Grande Annee 2015Enticing, fragrant aromas of toast, lemon zest and an earthy-smoky nuance lead to a palate of subtle Bosc-pear, mango, papaya, even pineapple flavors. Lifted by fresh acidity on the medium-bodied palate, the wine keeps unfolding in toasted walnuts, honey and a dash of bitter marmalade. It's mouth-filling, alive with acidity and full of finesse. (96) JAMES SUCKLING
Bunner also opted to increase the Chardonnay, so the blend is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, as opposed to the more typical 70/30 blend, with more Verzenay than Aÿ in the Pinots. Dried citrus peel, sage, menthol, sage, tangerine peel and spice build with some coaxing. Light tropical overtones develop with aeration. There's real density and textural richness here. This will be a fascinating vintage to follow. Stylistically, it is the complete opposite from the much more linear 2014 that precedes it. (96) ANTONIO GALLONI
The 2015 Brut La Grande Année was disgorged last year with eight grams per liter dosage. The wine has turned out beautifully, exhibiting a more muscular, old-school Bollinger profile in contrast to the unusually racy, fine-boned 2014 that preceded it. Wafting from the glass with notes of pear, orange oil and white flowers mingled with notions of mocha, toasted hazelnuts and fino sherry, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, with a dense core of fruit framed by chalky structuring extract, concluding with a long, sapid finish. (95+) WILLIAM KELLEY
2014ChampagneFrance376$325.00 As low as $292.50 -
Frederic Savart Les Noues 2019The 2019 Extra-Brut Les Noues is 100% Pinot Noir from a parcel planted on sand over chalk. It is endowed with tremendous textural richness and breadth that captures the natural intensity of this radiant year. Crushed flowers, red berry fruit, mint, cinnamon and light nutty overtones all grace this exquisite, open-knit Champagne. Even with its very recent disgorgement, the 2019 is very easy to enjoy right now. Disgorged: February 2023. ANOTONIO GALLONI, VinousNVChampagneFrance376$445.00 As low as $400.50 -
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 2007The 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires is the seventh opus of this vintage after the 1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2004 and 2006 vintages. This 100% Chardonnay exhales aromas of candied lemon, lemon oil, spring flowers, ripe orchard fruits and hints of pastry. The palate is coated and fleshy, rich and dense, with racy acids and a chalky, penetrating finish. Hide bottles for seven to eight years. (95+) YOHAN CASTAING, The Wine Advocate
“The nose is very subtle, has glimpses of oyster shell and lemon. The palate is taut, bright, super-fresh, linear, lemony and just incredibly youthful. There is a vein on ripe, lemony freshness that pervades this wine, that sets the tone, that defines its character. This is intense, insistent, urgent, yet also gentle and smooth with very fine mousse. A wonderful and most compelling personality. Exquisite. The finish is a serene stretch of lemony, chalky, profound freshness. Drink now or keep. Will evolve. (98) ANNE KREBIEHL MW
100% Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Vertus. The new Blanc des Millénaires presents the very best of the 2007 vintage, one that shows an intense, bristling kind of energy for Chardonnay. A compressed, tight core of chalky, pure flavours – green plum, charred peel, white flowers – with a lick of sea salt. Tasted again in November 2022, this cuvée showed richer sourdough and butter profile, suggesting it is opening up fairly obligingly. Much more focus than the 2006, yet more attitude than the serenely attractive 2004. TOM HEWSON, TimAtkin.com
2007chardonnayFrance376$500.00 As low as $450.00