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Champagne: Odd Bottles

Non-vintage wines include an approximate purchase date before the date of tasting or consumption. Where there is no purchase date, the wine was that on current release. I have ordered the notes by vintage, followed by the non-vintage wines. Click to locate stockists.

Leclerc-Mondet Brut 2000: A fairly rich and vibrant hue, and a moderately size bead, quite vigorous at first, which settles down to something more lazy with time in the glass. The nose is very appley, with an aromatic, baked apple quality, with a gentle, nutty nuance on the side. Soft and creamy on the palate at entry, with a firmer quality through the midpalate, with a baked, roasted flavour too, and a gentle mousse, this is good. Towards the finish it shows more structure, with a firmer acidity apparent here, and I think that although approachable now this would improve over a year or two in the cellar. 16+/20 (December 2009)

H. Blin & Co. Brut 1996: Here's a real bargain with no lack of quality. A good colour in the glass, with a strong bead. An exuberant nose when served at cellar temperature - full of creamy white fruits, nuts and yeast. A similar richness is present on the palate, a developed yeast and nut character, with a creamy mouthfilling richness, all backed up by correct acidity. Extraordinarily drinkable. 16/20 (January 2003)

Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Perignon 1995: Very pale in appearance. A sparse bead with moderate sized bubbles. It remains quite restrained on the nose, with mere hints of aromas that typify youthful Dom Perignon – a mixture of almonds, cream and white fruits. The palate maintains this reserved, closed-down theme, as it remains very tight. Much more grip and acidity than fruit or flavour at present, but there is a fine mousse. This is a great wine in the making and I look forward to opening the remaining bottles in the distant future. Hold for three to five years minimum. 18+/20 (October 2003)

Jacquart Brut Mosaïque 1992: Lemon gold in colour, with a powerful mousse, this is a vibrant and easily enjoyed wine. There are some toasty and smoky nuances on the nose, cutting through a thick seam of white fruit. On the palate the unsurprisingly fresh and persistent yet soft and silky mousse provides plenty of interest. There is plenty of fruit, with a rich, creamy, complex and savoury edge, and great acidity. It finishes with some finesse. I enjoyed this wine most when it had been open for an hour or two, the mousse had settled and the complex flavours were showing. This wine has the necessary structure for ageing, but is still enjoyable now. 16.5/20 (November 2001)

Jacquart Brut Blanc de Blancs 1992: Rich, yellow-golden colour. A change on the nose since last tasted, with more obvious maturity. Complex aromas of coffee, marzipan. Creamy, mouthfilling texture and mousse. A tropical note to the fruit, with toffee and coffee character. The previously obvious acidity, something that I have found to mark the 1992 vintage, has lessened and the wine has nice balance as a result. Creamy, complex finish. Ready now, but should drink for another three to five years. 16.5/20 (July 2003)

Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon 1992: A mid golden hue to this wine, with a very subtle bead. The nose conjures up images of almonds swirled in cream, with a backdrop of yeasty, home-baked biscuit aromas. As the bead would suggest, a soft yet persistent mousse on the palate. Very nicely poised, well balanced, with the required acidity maintaining a good presence throughout, supporting quite a creamy, medium-bodied texture. An almost sour-savoury finish leading into a good length. Potential for some further development. 17+/20 (July 2001)

Massé Albert Etienne 1990: A lemon-gold hue, with a fine bead. Nice mineral quality to the nose. With time developed some biscuity, yeasty notes, and hints of peach. A soft mousse. Good creamy texture, rich fruit, citrus acidity. Quite good, until the finish which seems a little astringent, bitter even, marring the overall impression. 14.5/20 (August 2000) Retaste: Gorgeous nose, which has developed coffee and nut complexity. Good texture, creamy but light rather than rich, and well balanced. No problems with the finish this time. 15/20 (March 2001)

Mumm Grand Cordon 1990: Lemon gold, with a prominent bead which rapidly fades. Interesting nose of marzipan, pistachio nuts, and a hint of oxidation. The mousse is very alive on the palate. Light yet creamy texture, with oysters and nuts. Sharp finish, with a pleasing although slightly astringent length. At the time of writing available for £25 at a variety of retail outlets. Usual price £50, at which it would represent poor value. 16/20 (January 2001)

Mumm Cordon Rouge Cuvée Limitée Brut 1990: A pale colour doesn't suggest an overly rich wine, and indeed it isn't. Lemony fruit on the nose, with some yeasty, doughy notes. A quite finely balanced palate, with fresh, lifting acidity, this being the wines most attractive characteristic. It balances out the autolytic, biscuity, yeasty complexities quite well. 15.5/20 (January 2001)

Piper Heidsieck 1990: A rich lemon-gold colour, with a fine but energetic bead. Plenty of sweet, baked apples and yeasty, doughy aromas on the nose. On the palate, a fine yet sharp mousse is immediately apparent. There is plenty of flavour, with a slightly sour, acidic apple profile offset with a slightly creamy richness, which builds as the wine sits on the palate. Nevertheless, the acidity persists through the endpalate, cutting through this richness, providing a slightly astringent finish. It all suggests that this wine would be better for a few more years in the cellar. 16/20 (July 2001)

Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve NV: Purchasd Autumn 2002. A pale golden yellow, with a very fine bead. Fairly delicate on the nose, with floral hints and a subtle, bready note. More showy on the palate, with a full body and good, creamy mousse, although quite foamy, with a somewhat sherbetty edge which I always find distracting. Strong acidity. Little complexity to the acidic, citrus fruits. Another that would benefit from six or more months in the cellar. 16/20 (January 2003)

F Bonnet Brut Heritage NV: Purchased Autumn 1999. A pale golden colour. Fresh citrus fruits on the nose, with bready notes. Moderate, fairly elegant mousse. Fresh citrus flavours follow on from the nose, with appropriate acidity, but more buttery and yeasty notes evident towards the end-palate. A clean finish. Good drinking. 15.5/20 (August 2000)

Raymond Boulard Brut Tradition NV: A golden yellow colour, but with a hint of copper, and a fine bead. On the nose, freshly peeled Gala apples, and a nose full of biscuity, yeasty autolytic aromas. A gentle but fresh mousse, with a strong backbone of acidity. Nuts, cream and apple flavours, and more autolytic notes. Quite a rustic mouthfeel. Enjoyable wine, but perhaps another six months in bottle might soften that acidity. 16/20 (August 2001)

Canard-Duchêne Brut NV: Purchased Summer 2000. Attractive lemon-gold, with a fairly coarse bead. The nose is initially mineral and white citrus fruit, but it quickly develops bready, leesy, yeasty notes. The palate has a sharp mousse, fresh acidity, mineral notes, is also quite bready. Finishes with a creamy touch. A good NV, with a hint of elegance on the nose. 14.5/20 (August 2000)

Canard-Duchêne Charles VII Brut Grande Cuvée NV: Purchased Spring 2000. The wine has a lemon-gold hue and a fine bead. The nose is lead by a delicious yeasty, autolytic aroma. Behind this there is a fresh, lemony fruit aroma, with a slightly herbaceous element. A lovely mousse on the palate, which quickly fades to leave a delightful, creamily textured wine coating your mouth. There is good lemony acidity to balance this richness, and that yeasty flavour is also there. Slips down beautifully, with good length. 16.5/20 (May 2000) Retaste: Purchased Spring 2000. A nose of citrus fruits at first, but aromas of coffee and toast signify some development here. Similar flavours on the palate, moderately rich, good acidity. Improved. 16.5/20 (May 2001)

Cattier Premier Cru Brut NV: Purchased Winter 2004. Quite a pale hue with a sparse but fine bead. The nose is a little yeasty and also a little cheesy, perhaps reflecting the blend which is 35% PM and 40% PN with only 25% Chardonnay. Similar character on the palate, which seems nicely evolved in terms of interesting flavour, but doesn't have the weight to match. So a little on the lean side, with firm, correct acidity and a nice fresh mousse. I've a feeling it may develop with bottle age. Good at the price I paid - about £12. 15.5+/20 (January 2005)

Louis Chaurey Brut NV: A pale yellow-straw and a fairly fine-moderate bead, and plenty of it too. Good freshness and lively character on the nose, lemon sherbet, peach skin and a rather exuberant, volcanic minerality. A nice substance on the palate, fresh and with lots of tangible citrussy acidity. It has that sense of broad chalkiness to the body that you sometimes get in the sparkling wines of Saumur rather than Champagne. A nicely complete style within this context, certainly fresh and it would make a good aperitif. 15.5/20 (March 2010)

Comte Audoin de Dampierre Grande Cuvée Brut NV: I rather liked the Comte Audoin wines when tasted at the CIB tasting earlier this year, and found the man himself to be charming, as is this wine. It has an appealing partridge eye appearance from skin contact, with a fine bead. An aromatic style, broad and complex, showing some maturity, and certainly an interesting style. Fresh, full, creamy, yet gentle and balanced on the palate. Fine, persistent, really very delicately poised. Quite complex and certainly an impressive and good value NV cuvée. 17.5/20 (July 2007)

Comte de Lantage Grand Cru NV: A good straw-gold hue as found when last tasted, and also as noted previously a very memorable and evocative nose, with polished, broad, honey-tinged fruit, still with a nutty, bready note, but also a touch of baked apple as well. Beautifully defined palate, rich and quite well structured, plenty of depth, fresh and vibrant, with good acidity buoying up and framing the flesh of the wine. There is a fine and yet vigorous mousse too. Fresh, interesting and full of flavour, with dried fruits tinged with baklawa. Delicious. Bottled by Michèle et Alain Mandois, Cerseuil, NM 494-001. 17/20 (March 2010)

Drappier Carte d'Or Rosé NV: This has a very appealing pink, onion skin hue, with a good bead plainly evident. The nose carries aromas of strawberry leaf with hints of cream and biscuit. On the palate there is plenty of fruit, with a fresh, textured, creamy composition. A dry and well presented mousse. Overall a developed and very appealing style. Very good. 16.5+/20 (June 2008)

Drappier Rosé Leger Brut NV: A fabulous hue here, pale with a faint, onion-skin tinge, and with a fine but plentiful bead. Fine purity but also good expression on the nose, a very creamed fruit character, with an appealing freshness, a tinge of mintiness, and a chalky-crumbly minerality. Correctly fresh on the start of the palate, with lots of life and vigour, mint-tinged and very full Pinot fruit with firmer minerality coming through in the end of the wine. A good flavoursome character and a nice, broad, fruit-filled substance, but balanced and poised despite the fruit richness. Very appealing and fresh, and yet impressively textured too. Delicious. 17/20 (February 2011)

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Blue Top Brut NV: Purchased Summer 2000. An attractive light onion-skin colour. Fairly coarse bead. The nose carries a light yeastiness together with some citrus fruit. A middle of the road palate, with more subtle biscuity yeasty notes sitting with sharp citrus fruit acidity. Mousse is a little aggressive. Pleasant drinking. 14/20 (September 2000)

Jacquart Brut Blanc de Noirs NV: It's a long time since I've tasted anything from the Jacquart co-operative. This wine has a pale straw hue and an amazingly bountiful bead in the glass. On the nose it begins to display its Pinot character, with a lightly-baked, oaty biscuit character on the nose, brightened by a streak of lemon and thyme running through it. It seems very nicely defined here, although it is less so on the palate, immediately displaying a rather fatter character from the start right through the middle, a little loose-knit and easy-going, perhaps in part relating to the dosage. Nevertheless, it is still full of opulent, juicy character that brings some pleasure, even if it feels dilute. It has that biscuit edge and certainly some honeycomb praline, with a plump mouthfeel and flavour impact of a blanc de noirs even though it doesn't seem to have the structural weight, showing just a touch lighter and more delicate in terms of composition than I might have expected. But that's too much criticism; there is good flavour here, with some appealing blackcurrant notes coming through very strongly in the midpalate, and then showing an almost grippy, savoury, damson-skin character on the finish. A non-wino crowd-pleaser, but nothing more serious than that. 15/20 (August 2010)

Jacquart Brut Tradition NV: A pleasing pale yellow hue, with reasonably fine bead. Good yeast-edged lemony fruit on the nose. Nice texture on entry, cream-edged mousse, and correct acidity. Not a complex Champagne, but great for supping by the bucket-load over the festive season. And a wonderful price too. 15.5/20 (December 2002)

Janisson & Fils Brut Premier Cru NV: Janisson & Fils are based in the grand cru village of Verzenay on the Montagne de Reims; other than that, I know little of this grower. The wine has a fresh mid-gold hue, and a plentiful bead of moderate size. The nose initially seems quite primary, with citrus fruits laid over a smoky and stony character, very clean, defined and fresh, with little hints of praline. The palate has a broad presence, and is just dripping with lightly crunchy golden fruits, clean and with plenty of zip. The mousse is fine, the acidity full on, both giving it plenty of lift, but what I think I enjoy most is the layer of golden-crunchy fruits, like crushing and popping golden grapes between your teeth. Rather dry in the finish, more so than expected, and showing a touch of steel here. 16/20 (November 2010)

Janisson & Fils Brut Rosé NV: This is a Pinot-rich blend, with 80% Pinot Noir and the balancing 20% entirely Chardonnay. In the glass it has an appealing salmon-sunset pink hue and a fine-to-moderate bead. Rich fruit on the nose, lightly biscuity-strawberry, with a touch of praline, and on the palate a creamy texture backed up by a pleasing acidic backbone and a crisp fine mousse. There is a good depth of fruit here, quite dark in character, with little notes of blackcurrant leaf, black pepper and black truffle too along the way, culminating in a very harmonious finish. It has quite a lot of substance in the mouth, reflecting the Pinot dominance, overall presenting a big mouth-filling style, with a slightly bitter grip, but still nicely poised and very easy to drink. 16.5/20 (September 2010)

Charles Lafitte Grande Cuvée Brut NV: Purchased Summer 2000. A very pale lemon colour, but with an attractive, quite fine bead. Sharp, lemony, pithy citrus fruit nose, with little yeasty complexity. On the palate, quite a sharp mousse, although this fades with time. The acidity is also quite sharp, and thus this wine was best with food. Lemon, mineral, citrus fruit flavours. Clean finish, but no length. 14/20 (August 2000)

Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut NV: Purchased Summer 2002. Lovely colour, a vibrant pink, with a salmon-tinged edge. Good bead. Plenty of strawberry fruit and brioche on the nose. A full bodied palate, rich with a creamy edge and full mousse. Plenty of flavour, and good acidity. Delightful. 16.5/20 (August 2002)

Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle 'La Cuvée' NV: Purchased Summer 2003. I suspect it is the 95/93/90 blend. Good colour. A nose of almonds and cream, swirled with lemon juice, over a layer of brioche. Lovely, full, creamy and quite svelte palate, with a biting mousse. Very backward and youthful at present, with firm acidity which dominates a little. A very good length too. Great finesse here, but it is still just a baby. Needs 5-10 years in the cellar. 17+/20 (September 2004)

Moët et Chandon Brut Impérial NV: Purchased Summer 2000. A pale golden hue. The nose carries pithy citrus fruits, with background nuances of butter and bready yeasts, which become more prominent with aeration. A sharp, acidic mousse, although this also settles with time. Fairly rich, with good leesy complexity. Clean citrus finish. 15/20 (August 2000)

Moutardier Brut Sélection NV: Moutardier are based in Le Breuil south of the Marne, and specialise in Pinot Meunier (which accounts for 80% of the vineyard). This cuvée though is 50% each Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It has a rich colour, a polished pale-golden hue with a tinge of bronze at its very core. And on the nose a style indicative of oxidative processes, the aromas doinated by nutty-polished oak, baked-roasted citrus fruits, with a smoky-toasty-Maillard coating and a hint of sweet whisky mash which - to my surprise - I find works really well in this context. It is rich and full on the palate, broad and bold, with notes of sweet candied lemons. There is plenty of fine and defined mousse, giving a much needed bright and incisive character, helped by very firm acidity and a rather sour edge to the fruit and acid character. This does at least give it a sappy, savoury, lip-smacking finish, but I do confess I find the role of the acidity a little dominant and incongruous for my palate. 14.5/20 (November 2010)

Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut NV: Purchased Spring 2002. Attractively packaged, and the wine itself has an attractive colour and good bead. The nose has considerable appeal, with warm brioche, lemony fruit, and a suggestion of a developing nutty, marzipan element. The palate has fairly aggressive acidity, with a somewhat sour character towards the finish, but some good fresh fruit and a toasty edge. Firm mousse. Quite acceptable, particularly in this price bracket, and time in the bottle will tame that acidity. 15/20 (April 2002)

Piper-Heidsieck Brut Rosé NV: Purchased Spring 1998. A gorgeous, deep salmon-pink with a hint of orange. Redcurrants and strawberries on the nose, with herbaceous notes, and hints of yeasty bread. Good mousse on the palate, good weight, attractive raspberry fruit. 16.5/20 (August 2000)

Piper-Heidsieck Rosé Sauvage Brut NV: The vibrant pink label of this wine seems appropriate when you catch a glimpse of the wine itself, which this one of the deepest, salmon-red hues I have ever seen in a rosé - getting towards the redder hues we might expect from Larmandier-Bernier's Rosé de Saignée or similar. And it is youthful, as evinced by the plentiful bead. There are lots of plump red fruits on the nose, showing a sweet-sherbetty tinge. A rather full style to the palate, bitter in terms of acid and grip, with a sour edge to the fruit. Quite coarsely raw in terms of character, showing more bitter sherbet and steel structure on the palate than flavour, right through to the finish. This doesn't pull me back for more. 13.5/20 (February 2011)

Piper Heidsieck Cuvée Brut NV: A short and rather peremptory note, as I tasted - or rather nursed over a period of an hour or two - a glass of the latest non-vintage from Piper at a recent Champagne reception with none other than Diana Rigg. She was charming, as you might imagine. This entry-level cuvée wasn't bad either. Nicely delineated, very straightforward and honest. Fresh on the palate, gentle in terms of mousse and acidity, nicely balanced, altogether this is very good, and there is value here too. 16.5/20 (February 2008)

Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut NV: Purchased Autumn 2002. A lemon-gold hue. Some rich fruit aromas on the nose, with a smoky, brioche edge. Creamily textured on the palate, with firm mousse and sharp acidity. Good fruit. Very fresh and a step up in quality for Piper-Heidsieck. Would benefit from six-twelve months in the cellar. 16.5+/20 (January 2003)