This years alternative Cuvee tasting will be on the 15th January 2024 starting at 6pm.
Location of this years event is 1 Hotel Mayfair, 3 Berkeley Street, London, W1J 8DJ
Our function this winter will again focus on ‘Alternative Cuvées’ from each of the 16 houses, be it a Rosé, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Single Vineyard wines, or any other special cuvée that the houses would like to show.
Here what will be on show this year
Bollinger PN AYC18
As you would expect from a 100% Pinot Noir, the PN AYC 18 is full-bodied and complex. The wine exudes Bollinger typicity, partly from the high levels of reserve wines (47%). 2018 was a fruit-forward champagne vintage, and you will find notes of red cherries, plums and orchard fruits in the wine. The palate is an alluring balance of vivacity and creamy texture
Piper Heidsieck Essential Extra Brut in Magnum
Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Cuvée Reservée NV is the newest release from the house. With extended ageing and a lower dosage than the Cuvée Brut NV this has more complexity and precision.
Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims give the structure and the Chardonnay from la Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims expresses the elegance and charm of the vintage. Cuvée Brut is a round and vibrant non-vintage Cuvée Brut recalling the rich variety of its blend of 100 crus from across Champagne
Taittinger Folies de la Marquetterie NV
Claude Taittinger wanted to pay tribute to the ‘Château de la Marquetterie’, where the story of the Champagne House started. He came up with a wine that was created from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines growing on the hillsides around the house. It was to be a champagne that evoked a feeling of homeliness; a subtle blend of autumnal colours, like those found in the different woods used in ‘marquetterie’ (marquetry work).
The body is deep yellow in colour with golden highlights. The bubbles are fine and delicate. The intense, highly fruity bouquet leads onto peach and apricot jam aromas with subtle hints of toasted brioche and vanilla. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied, smooth and fruity with dominant peach flavours. The distinctive and expressive finish delivers lightly woody notes. Les Folies de la Marquetterie is a full-flavoured and harmonious champagne distinguished by its immense richness and complexity. This “terroir” wine, structured and powerful, pays homage to the 18th century and is the ideal accompaniment to robust dishes such as roasted meats and fish in sauce
Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs
Charles Heidsieck was one of the very first Champagne Houses to demonstrate its passion for Chardonnay by producing a Blanc de Blancs in its 1949 vintage. Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs, relaunched in 2018, combining Charles Heidsieck's area of expertise; Blending a large selection of wines from different years and the production of great white wine.
A pale golden with a fine steam of bubbles. Aromas of peach, candied citrus with hints on lime, giving way to a freshness and tautness on the palate with tangerine and lemon on the mid palate. A finish of elegance and length, typical of the Charles Heidsieck style.
Krug Rose 21st edition
Krug Rosé is inspired by the dream of the fifth generation of the Krug family to conceive a rosé Champagne that did not yet exist, one that could be re-created each year. Every Édition of Krug Rosé perpetuates this legacy.
Krug Rosé is surprising, as it replaces a good red wine at the table with brio. This Champagne is a delicate blend of wines of the year with wines from selected plots of the House’s vast reserve library, completed with traditionally macerated Pinot Noir to add structure and spice.
Ruinart Rose
The Brut Rosé from Ruinart is a wine from the Champagne region, made from a blend of 55% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and Marne Valley, and 45% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims. Around 20 to 25% of the blend is made of reserve wines from the past two years. The Ruinart Brut Rosé is adorned with a gorgeous coral pink dress, embellished with a fine and persistence lace of bubbles. The nose of this champagne is very fine, marked with subtle and fresh aromas of cherries and crunchy red fruits, along with finer fragrances of rose and pomegranate. On the palate, this Rosé from the House of Ruinart is balanced, fruity and deliciously fresh with great suppleness and freshness.
Veuve Clicquot Rose
The Cellar Master and his team of experts select excellent quality red wines and still wines from some of the most sought-after vineyards in Champagne to find the flavors and characteristics that perfectly express the Veuve Clicquot Rosé style.
Veuve Clicquot Rosé is the result of a blending of grapes from as many as 50 to 60 different crus, and is composed of up to 45% reserve wines. The cuvée, based on the traditional Yellow Label blend and completed with Pinot Noir red wine, reveals red fruit aromas, gourmandise and strength.
Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008
Every Grand Vintage is unique and original, the Cellar Master's interpretation of the singular year that is produced. The Möet & Chandon Grand Vintage spirit is founded on three essential values: Freedom of interpretation, selection of the year's most remarkable wines and individuality of the vintage. After a rainy but mild winter without any prolonged cold spells, spring arrived with some very localised frosts. Cool weather returned in June and the infrequent sunshine prolonged the feeling of freshness. The spring to autumn weather was bright with sunny spells and the long, hot days and cool nights during September gave the grapes excellent acidity during the harvest period. The 2008 vintage is fast emerging as one of the best since the renowned and now-legendary 2002. Vanilla notes on the nose gradually expand into darker toastier notes of roasted almonds. On the palate deep flavours of fleshy fruits, peaches and grapefruit. There is a superb silky texture that combines with the full bodied Pinot Noir.
Pol Roger Rose 2018
In classical Pol Roger style, this Rosé shows power, sophistication, and charm. Salmon pink in the glass, the nose is a heady mix of forest fruits and fine patisserie. The palate shows opulence but a firm grip and chalky cleansing tension. A blend of 60% Chardonnay, and 40% Pinot Noir, using the assemblage method using Pinot Noir red wine from the Grand Cru villages of Ambonnay and Bouzy, together with Hautvilliers. This gives a fantastic depth of fruit with a smoky, floral scent and muscularity on the palate. A proudly Pinot style, with raspberry and blood orange, mesmerized by a seamless, foaming and long mineral finish
Laurent Perrier Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature
In May 2018, Laurent-Perrier announced the release of a brand new champagne: Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV. Being a Chardonnay-dominant house, it was only a matter of time before Laurent-Perrier launched an all-Chardonnay cuvée. Notably, the champagne is a Brut Nature (zero dosage was added post-disgorgement), making it the only Grande Marque Blanc de Blancs with no dosage.
The first release is based on equal proportions of the 2012 and 2013 vintages. The high 40% reserve wine content contains wine from several previous vintages, with a significant contribution from 2009. Both the base and reserve wines originate from the same Grand and Premier Cru vineyards: Chouilly and Cramant from the Côte des Blancs and Villers-Marmery from the Montagne de Reims.
Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature Rose 2015
Louis Roederer Philippe Starck 2015 Brut Nature Rosé Champagne follows on wonderfully from previous vintages of this boundary-pushing collaboration between Louis Roederer and French designer Philippe Starck. A true Champagne of terroir, the grapes for this cuvée sourced entirely from the premier cru village of Cumières in the Marne Valley, on clay soils which are farmed biodynamically. These vineyards are south-facing, basking in sunshine and consistently produce wines of ripeness and aromatic intensity.
All of the grapes for the base of this wine were picked and pressed on the same day. The pink colour for this wine is obtained by cold soaking a portion of Pinot Noir grapes for 5 days before blending with the white juice. The juice is cofermented; no other blending is done at any point, in an effort to allow the characteristics of the vineyard and vintage to be foremost.
Pommery 150th Anniversary Cuvee Blanc de Blancs NV
Pommery is marking the forthcoming 150th anniversary of its creation of brut Champagne with the release of a limited edition blanc de blancs cuvée blended from Chardonnay from some of Madame Pommery’s favourite plots.
Nestling on the south-east slope, Trépail contributes significantly to the freshness and minerality of the cuvée. As a perfect complement to its neighbour, Villers-Marmery adds its finesse to the whole. Moving up the Grande Vallée de la Marne, we stop at the heart of the historic Coteaux, at Dizy, which offers us a terroir of multiple expressions, blending elegance and smoothness with remarkable balance. Crossing the Marne and joining the cuesta of the Côte des Blancs, we first travel through the Chouilly terroir, which brings its incomparable vivacity to the whole. Next come the villages of Cramant and Avize, indissociable ‘Hors Classes’ Grands Crus, with their bewitching aromatic character, graceful citrus notes, toasty nuances and exceptional consistency. We finish with the Chardonnay d’Oger, a proud and singular terroir with chiselled minerality, which gives the blend the distinction it deserves
Heidsieck & Co Monopole Silver Top Brut NV
The first nose is subtle. The first aromas reveal white flowers and then develop into more pronounced notes of white peach. As the wine becomes warmer, the nose is more in evidence. It is quite voluminous. The aromas during this tasting moment are baked apple and toasted notes.
The palate has a good, ample presence. It is long without being heavy. The aromas are in harmony with the stewed fruit notes in the nose. There are even some emerging hints of aromas like cocoa and coffee.
A supremely well balanced, fresh Champagne, laden with flavours of orchard fruits and freshly sliced vanilla pods.
Perrier Jouet Blanc de Blancs
Vivacious and unrestrained, the Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs showcases the unique freshness of the Maison's emblematic grape. To create it, Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps has selected an elegant blend of floral Chardonnays from the Champagne region's best vineyards. The result is a wine of exuberant energy and vitality, characterized by wild hedgerow flower aromas of elderberry, acacia and honeysuckle, with a hint of citrus fruit.
In the glass, Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs is luminescent pale gold, tinged with hints of green.
Lively wild hedgerow flower aromas of elderberry, acacia and honeysuckle tangle and twist with notes of citrus fruit on the nose.
In the mouth the wine is fresh, tangy and invigorating with a mineral intensity on the finish. This is a vivacious wine of immense energy and vitality.
GH Mumm Rose
The Mumm Rose cuvée combines the finesse, balance and aromatic richness of the Mumm Cordon Rouge base comprised of 77 crus, with the extra fruitiness from the addition of 12% to 14% Pinot Noir red wines from Bouz.
An intense, clear-cut salmon pink colour, with orange and yellow highlights. The light, elegant bubbles create a delicate, sparkling mousse. Luscious aromas are dominated by fresh summer fruits such as strawberry with hints of caramel and vanilla.
The palate is filled with flavours of red fruits, caramel and vanilla and a long, powerful, rounded finish.
Lanson Le Vintage 2012
The 2012 harvest offered a complex wine characterised by its aromatic intensity, freshness and harmony. The yellow hue with golden tints is sparkling with fine persistent bubbles. The aromas of candied fruit, dried apricots, almonds, brioche, acacia honey and sweet spices offer a round and intense bouquet.
Maison Lanson owns a wonderful and unique collection of vintages, offering a balanced blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It has made the demanding choice to only declare vintage the years considered exceptional. 1874, 1904, 1928, 1955, 1964, 1971, 1976, 1985, 1999, 2008 and 2012 are all great vintages, demonstrating the capacity of our wines to transcend time while retaining an incomparable freshness.
Despite significant climatic contrasts, 2012 was a miraculous year that produced one of the greatest vintages over the past few decades. The succession of unpredictable weather events, which saw a tough winter with hard frosts combined with a spring where rain alternated with hail, fortunately gave way to fine weather in August. The exceptionally sunny summer enabled the grapes to ripen slowly and perfectly until the harvests mid-September. The relatively modest yields of the 2012 harvest gave concentrated wines.