Take advantage of what Black Friday has to offer with these Champagne deals. Keith Jackson / Alamy If you’re willing to be strategic, Black Friday 2018 is a great time to pick up some top Champagne at relatively reasonable prices. The best prices aren’t here yet, so there’s a waiting game. See also: More Black Friday wine deals Top whisky deals Black Friday gin deals Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne NV A solid rosé Champagne and one of the best-known, available for an unusually low price. A great way of announcing your arrival at a Christmas party or enjoying date night, but with the added bonus of not rinsing your bank account. £42.99 – £21.00 off… [Read More...]

Nice to try the new Grand Vintage from Moët. Last release was 2009 in 2017, so there’s been quite a jump to 2012. It’s really good, despite the slightly up and down growing season. Champagne Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012 France 12.5% alcohol. 46% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Meunier, 33% Pinot Noir. Dosage 5 g/litre. Disgorged February 2018. The 74th release from this house. Lovely finesse here. Fruity with sweet citrus and pear notes, as well as some ripe peach and apricot hints. This has depth and generosity, and it’s really accessible, but there’s also some fine toast and bread complexity, and fine nuttiness. There’s… [Read More...]

This is an impressive Champagne for the price. Made by the CRVC (www.crvc.fr) a cooperative, this spends six years on lees, which is a long time for an NV Champagne. Champagne Castelnau Réserve NV France £28 The Wine Society 12.5% alcohol 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, one-fifth reserve wines. 8 g/litre dosage. This is unusual for a wine at this price in that it has been aged for six years on its lees. It’s fine and toasty with nice freshness. Citrussy and taut with some bready notes, and faint hints of cheese and fine herbs, as well [Read More...]

This is an interesting Champagne, marketed on the basis that fermentation is entirely in oak barrels, something that’s very rare for larger Champagne houses. It’s made of Premier and Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs; Premier and Grand Cru Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ; and Pinot Meunier from the right bank of the Vallée de la Marne. Vinification and ageing take place in oak casks at low temperature, there’s partial malolactic fermentation, around one-third reserve wines and 6 years ageing on lees. Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois NV France £65 Lea & Sandeman … [Read More...]

See our expert panel’s top recommendations for grower, supermarket and own-label Champagne under £40 below, plus tasting notes & scores for all 79 wines submitted…Scroll down to see the full report, tasting notes and scores Our tasters each pick their three best Champagnes under £40 from the tasting: Simon Field MW You might also like: Champagne Grower-producers: the beginning of the end? (July 2018) Great value magnums for Christmas and New Year (December 2017) When should you decant wine? An expert taste test (July 2018) The post Champagne panel tasting: Bottles to look for under £40 appeared first on Decanter. [Read More...]

Very impressed with this, the current release of the Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. It’s immediately accessible, and obviously delicious, but it also has a serious side to it. Very skilful blending and winemaking here. Not cheap, at around £50 street price, but really fine and beautifully packaged, too (in clear glass, so preferably try to find a boxed product that won’t have suffered light strike. Champagne Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV France 12.5% alcohol This is beautiful stuff. There’s some lovely richness with citrus, pear and white peach with a really nice brightness and crispness. The core … [Read More...]

Bruno Paillard has said that he does not intend to re-think his decision to resign in protest as the head of a commission set up to protect the Champagne name around the world. Protected names form a central facet of EU wine law.News broke last week that Bruno Paillard has quit as president of the Champagne bureau’s ‘appellation protection committee’ after 17 years, following a row with Champagne Palmer. Paillard, a leading figure in the region as chairman and CEO of Lanson-BCC and owner of Champagne Bruno Paillard, was quoted in French newspaper l’Union as saying that co-operative-owned Palmer had betrayed Champagne … [Read More...]

A real treat to drink this tonight after a lovely boat ride and swim in Muskoka cottage country. It’s mature and delicious. Thank you Steven Campbell for opening this. Champagne Salon Le Mesnil 1985 France Golden colour. Lovely aromas of toast, nuts, honey and apples with a faint cheesiness. The palate is intense and concentrated with a lovely crystalline citrus core, which expands into more toast, apple pie and honeycomb notes. This has great intensity and depth, and a lovely acid core. Mature but still very much alive, with gentle fizziness and a vinous character. 96/100 Find this wine with wine-searcher.com [Read More...]