12 Favourite Champagnes for Christmas

Henri Giraud’s Esprit Nature is one of the most finely balanced, light-on-its-feet non-vintage blends we’ve tasted. It has a pure and dancing freshness, all citrus and blossom on the nose, with a touch of baked bread. The weight is so precise and agile. For an aperitif style of Champagne, it’s everything you could want. One third of the wine is drawn from the perpetual reserve the house keeps, dating back to 1990.

This must be the most reliably brilliant N/V rosé champagne out there. Delicate onion skin pink, with savoury notes and a gentle but sophisticated lift of red fruits on the nose. The palate is exceptionally smooth, with creamy bubbles and a long, elegant finish.

The heart of this multi-vintage blend from Aÿ is the 2016 vintage, which is combined with one third perpetual reserve, dating back to 1990. The wine is a gorgeous golden colour, with a luxuriously deep, rich aroma. A textured and sumptuous palate of hazelnuts, sea salt and explosive bergamot feed through to a persistent and satisfying finish. It is a riveting wine, enthralling in its depth and precision, with just a hint of Aÿ’s menthol signature. Gourmand and delectable, this is a superb Champagne from a small Champagne house that is a favourite with the critics.

The heart of this multi-vintage blend from Aÿ is the 2016 vintage, which is combined with one third perpetual reserve, dating back to 1990. The wine is a gorgeous golden colour, with a luxuriously deep, rich aroma. A textured and sumptuous palate of hazelnuts, sea salt and explosive bergamot feed through to a persistent and satisfying finish. It is a riveting wine, enthralling in its depth and precision, with just a hint of Aÿ’s menthol signature. Gourmand and delectable, this is a superb Champagne from a small CHampagne house that is a favourite with the critics.

Billecart-Salmon might be one of the most recognisable names in Champagne, but it remains a family-run business to this day, with its cellars in the heart of the Montagne de Reims. Their Brut Réserve is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and is made in a wonderfully harmonious style. It is chalky and zesty, with bright, crunchy apple fruit on the palate and a zippy freshness. Its 50%+ reserve wine in the blend gives it complexity and character.