#vintage

Feb 2, 2022

The Essence of Cristal Through the Prism of the 2014 Vintage

"If I don't make mistakes, I never learn." Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon's words are hardly original but still they took me by surprise. I...

May 11, 2021

Cristal 2013: the Vintage that Outdoes the Cristal of Cristals

If Louis Roederer Cristal 2008 was "the Cristal of Cristals", in the memorable words of chef de cave Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon at the...

Mar 8, 2021

Tales of the Unexpected: Bollinger R.D. 2007

With the 2007 vintage the disgorgement date has returned to the front label If I'm ever asked who from history I would choose as my...

Jun 16, 2020

Heavenly Champagne from a Hellish Year: Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésimé 2012

The 2012 vintage in Champagne was expected to be a disaster – as bad as 1984, and that's saying something. There was winter frost, spring...

Jun 1, 2020

Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006 and Moët Grand Vintage Collection 2002

I was going to call this A Taste of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006 and Moët Grand Vintage Collection 2002 but, reader, I drank them, not by...

Jun 1, 2020

Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2006 vs 2007

Caroline Fiot at Ruinart HQ in Reims, one of Ruinart's team of three winemakers The text of this article was first published in The World...

Dec 13, 2019

The Festive Champagne Guide 2019

Writing my annual Festive Champagne Guide is, as you can imagine, no hardship, not least because I have tasted everything in it recently....

Jul 3, 2019

Bruno Paillard's zero-dosage Champagne comes of age

D : Z is one of two new launches for Champagne Bruno Paillard. The other is the 2009 Assemblage, a vintage that Alice Paillard admits...

Dec 19, 2018

The Festive Champagne Guide 2018

We're there: my Champagne picks for Christmas, New Year and every other kind of festivity, whittled down with difficulty to what I hope...

Feb 6, 2018

Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2004: a long-awaited new vintage

No one could accuse Champagne Charles Heidsieck of rushing things or releasing vintages too frequently, not so far anyway. The new...

Sep 11, 2017

Krug's Champagne creations of 2004 (and others)

Olivier Krug was in town last week for the launch of the 2004 vintage Krug. Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t a spare seat in the house – a...

May 15, 2017

Return of the Bollinger Lunch: James Bond and vintage Champagne surprises

The Bollinger Lunch was, as you can imagine, a rather nice fixture in the calendar until it was dropped a couple of years ago. Searching...

Apr 19, 2017

Dom Pérignon 2000: the art and mystery of P1, P2 and Rosé Champagne

Dom Pérignon 2000, P2, P1 and P1 Rosé and winemaker Vincent Chaperon in London Dom Pérignon has just launched its P2 2000 Champagne. I...

Aug 30, 2016

Drinking history

45 years old and still in perfect health Drinking history: there are times when only a well-worn phrase will do. I’ve just had one of...

Aug 26, 2016

Try finding a wine writer who doesn't love Alfred Gratien Champagne

Chef de cave Nicolas Jaeger who still ferments everything in oak barrels Alfred Gratien must be one of the least visited of Champagne...

Jun 2, 2016

Liquid Gold: seven vintages of Cristal Champagne – drunk, not just tasted!

The occasion was a dinner at the Hotel Particulier in Reims, the Roederer family home, in May 2016, hosted by Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon,...

Jun 2, 2016

The Golden Age of Champagne

Vins Clairs from the great 2015 vintage, some of which will go into Cristal in the current, new Golden Age of Champagne Rather a quaint...