£22 (on offer), Bon Coeur Fine Wines
A timely reminder that in the season of the cheery Champagne deal supermarkets are not the only places to shop. Bon Coeur Fine Wines’ own brand Champagne is good value at its usual price of £28.60 and cracking value at £22, the offer price until the end of the year.
And just like its price, it’s a really cheery Champagne – properly aged and with pretty fruit – so one with wide appeal, a useful attribute at this time of year, when you never know who might say they find Champagne too sharp or too dry.
It has an appetisingly fresh, floral nose with notes of just-baked bread and toasted nuts and the palate is softly succulent, round and nutty with lemon and peach fruit and gentle crème fraiche creaminess.
The blend is predominantly Pinot Noir, with 16% Chardonnay, and it's aged for at least three years in the cellars of Chassenay d'Arce, the small co-operative that makes it for Bon Coeur, whose founder and chairman is James Goodhart, hence the name. I've written about Chassenay d'Arce before but, as a refresher, it's in Champagne's southerly Côtes des Bars region and its 130 members have a goodly 310ha of vineyards.
12% alcohol; dosage 9g/l.
Jacques Boncoeur Brut Réserve Champagne, France
£22 until the end of 2022, then £28.60, Bon Coeur Fine Wines