Christmas Champagne

Our search for the perfect Champagne to put our name to was a long one. So we couldn’t be more delighted to have teamed up with long-standing favourite of the business, Champagne Thiénot. Their classic brut non-vintage blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, based on the outstanding 2015 vintage, is exactly what we wanted. It’s balanced and refreshing, with a well-judged 6g/l dosage. Extended ageing has lent the wine depth, character, and intensity. And quite frankly, it’s an absolute bargain.

Pol Roger's classic N/V blend has a huge following, and with good reason. It is one of the most finely balanced and delicious grandes marques on the market. It's a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. It is one of the most complex and rewarding non-vintage Champagnes you'll find, with creamy citrus notes on the nose, and a crisp orchard fruit palate with savoury minerality on the long, elegant finish. This is based on the excellent 2018 vintage.

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is only ever made in the great vintages, and always with the great man’s personal preference in mind: a robust and full-bodied Champagne that develops incredible depth with age. The exact blend, as ever, is a closely guarded secret, but Pinot plays a starring role, with just "a zest of Chardonnay" Hubert de Billy, great-great-grandson of Pol Roger, says. The Pinot dominance gives structure, depth, and breadth to the wine, whilst Chardonnay gives a chalky, vibrant, savoury top note and fresh thread of acidity. All the fruit comes from grand cru vineyards which were already under vine in Churchill’s lifetime. 2015 was a warm year, yet the wine displays deceptively high acidity, making it both toothsome and refreshing. It is another great release from the exciting 2015 vintage.

Dom Ruinart breaks the mould in 2010. It's a vintage that hasn't yielded universally celebrated wines in Champagne, but the Dom Ruinart is an exception to the rule, and one to get seriously excited about. The critics have heaped praise on it, with Antonio Galloni stating "the 2010 Dom Ruinart is one of the most impressive Champagnes ever made here. If there is anything better, I don't think I have tasted it!" It has huge vinous energy and wonderful complexity. This is an absolute classic in the making. 4g/l dosage.

P2 - or Plénitude 2 - is a fascinating wine to taste. It comes about when the team at Dom Pérignon hold back a small portion of vintage Champagne in their cellars of Hautvillers. For a further 10 years after the wine’s initial release, these bottles age on lees and gain in richness and complexity. So in total, it means the wine has spent almost two decades before disgorgement. This extra time adds harmony, complexity, and intensity.

Krug 171 is a celebration of the 2015 vintage, where Pinot Noir soared in quality. The 171 is luxurious, toasty, enveloping and gourmand. While 2015 takes the lead, the wine’s magic comes from the detailed support of 12 other years, going back to 2000. It’s an intricate combination of no less than 131 wines, and the result is a glorious harmony, fully orchestral in its volume. Captivating in its power and enthralling in its decadence, this is Krug at its very best