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SPARKLING WINE
Prosecco DOC Extra Dry NV £9.99
Winemaker and winery: Andrea Saccon, Masottina Winery
100% Glera
Conegliano
Viticulture/Vinification: Most of the vineyards are on the hills of glacial moraines combined with limestone. The vine training system is Guyot with around 3300-4000 vines per hectare. The wine is fermented in stainless steel vats for 12-18 days. After the first fermentation the wine is put into pressurised tanks and given a second fermentation with selected yeasts.
Dosage:14g/l
529 stores
11% alc
Full, interesting and savoury nose – can this be Prosecco? Dry and with some texture. About as nice a Prosecco as I’ve ever tasted.
Cava Brut Heretat El Padruell NV £7.99
Winemaker and winery: Marta Fontanals, Cavas Jaume Serra
40% Macabeo, 30% Parellada and 30% Xarello
D.O Cava, Penedès
Viticulture/Vinification: The vines stretch from the Mediterranean coastline inland to an altitude of approximately 800m. The climate is Mediterranean with hot summers and mild winters.
Base wine: 2010
Disgorgement Date: May 2012
Dosage:7g/l
492 stores
11.5% alc
Deep colour. Pretty full-flavoured. Not bad.
Prestige Cava Brut NV £8.99
Winemaker and winery: Gabriel Suberviola, Segura Viudas part of the Freixenet Group
Macabeo and Parellada
Cava
Viticulture/Vinification: Grapes are hand harvested from bush trained vines grown in chalk clay soil. The varieties are vinified separately using selected yeasts from the Segura Viudas collection. Blending occurs in late November and the wine is then bottled and undergoes secondary fermentation. Again, specially selected own yeasts are used, and the Cavas remain on their lees for a minimum of 9 months before disgorgement.
Base wine: 2010
Disgorgement Date: July 2012
Dosage: 9g/l
677 stores
12% alc
Some grip, some length. Not bad at all.
Mount Bluff Brut NV £10.99
Winemaker and winery: Jane de Witt, Lion New Zealand
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
North Island, New Zealand
Viticulture/Vinification: Grapes are harvested and the juice is taken from skins quickly and then inoculated with selected yeasts. Full malolactic fermentation follows while the wine remains on its lees. After chilling and filtering the blended base cuvee then has sugar and yeast added before bottling for secondary fermentation in bottle.
Disgorgement Date: January 2012
Dosage:7g/l
436 stores
12% alc
Lovely fat bottle. Like a stocky Prosecco. Very savoury nose. Might have thought there was oak involved. It also tastes oaky. This is rather interesting.
Villiera Brut Natural Sparkling Wine 2009 £10.99
Winemaker and winery: Jeff Grier, Villiera
100% Chardonnay
Stellenbosch
Viticulture/Vinification: The hand-picked grapes were sourced from 15 year old vines grown in environmentally friendly vineyards. This wine was crafted using the traditional method employed in Champagne. No additives are used including sulphur anywhere in the process.
Base: 2009
Disgorgement Date: Sept 2012 Dosage 0
90 stores
12% alc
Light, fresh, lemony nose. Light and quite short.
Sparkling Burgundy NV £11.99
Winemaker and winery: Yoan Piberne, Bailly Lapierre
100% Chardonnay
Burgundy
Viticulture/Vinification: Grapes are hand-picked and transported in open-sided bins. Yeast and malolactic fermentation are both carried out. The wine then is then bottled and spends 18 months on lees.
Base: 2010
Disgorgement Date: April 2012
Dosage:9g/l
189 stores
12% alc
Light, lemony nose. Ditto taste. Easy,
CHAMPAGNE
Comte de Noiron Brut NV £30.00
Winemaker and winery: Christophe Rapeneau, G.H. Martel & Co.
55 % Pinot Noir, 35 % Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay (of which 20% is reserve wine)
Viticulture/Vinification: 200 hectares of the vineyard is family owned with 800 hectares under grower contracts. The grapes are vinified in the traditional method.
Base: 2010 (60%)
Disgorgement Date: July 2012
Dosage:11g/l
500 stores
12% alc
Deep colour. Nicely rounded nose. As if it has a little age. In fact, I see it was disgorged about a second ago. 20% of the chardonnay is reserve wines. The taste is similar. It just tastes more savoury and more evolved. Like it. *
Louis Chaurey Champagne NV £30.00
Winemaker and winery: Oudinot
35% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier and 30% Chardonnay
Viticulture/Vinification: A traditional blend vinified in stainless steel with 100% malolactic fermentation. Slow second fermentation and maturation in underground cellars at 10°C. Aged on lees for a minimum of 24 months.
Base: 2009
Disgorgement Date: February 2012
Dosage:8.4 g/l
492 stores
12% alc
Quite lightweight. Easy drinking. Not for £30.
Herbert Beaufort NV £32.00
Winemaker and winery: Olivier Bonville, Champagne Franck Bonville
100% Chardonnay
Champagne Bouzy
Viticulture/Vinification: Traditional viticulture with vinification in stainless steel tanks.
Base: 2007 (50%) and 2008 (50%)
Disgorgement Date: Dec 2011
Dosage:8g/l
142 stores
12%
Nice full aroma. Tasty and with a touch of ripe fruit. Good.
Franck Bonville Grand Cru NV £39.00
Winemaker and winery: Henry and Ludovic Beaufort, Champagne Herbert Beaufort
90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay
Champagne Avize
Viticulture/Vinification: Traditional viticulture with vinification in stainless steel tanks.
Dosage at 9 g/l of sugar. 80 % of the grapes come from the 2009 harvest with reserve the wines from 2008 and 2007 (20%).
Base: 2009 (80%) and 2007/8 (20%)
Disgorgement Date: Apr 2012
Dosage:9g/l
47 stores
12.5% alc
Toasty and full aroma. Dry, but with biscuity flavour. Long and delicious. *
ROSÉ SPARKLING
Oudinot Rosé NV £26.00
with gift sleeve £31.00
Winery: Oudinot
63% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay, 14% Pinot Meunier
Viticulture/Vinification: A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, vinified in stainless steel with 100% malolactic fermentation and with 16% of Pinot Noir vinified in red. Aged on lees for a minimum of 24 months.
Base: 2007
Disgorgement Date: Nov 2011
Dosage:8.4 g/l
677 stores
12% alc
Pretty dark for rosé champagne. Some grip, some dry strawberry flavour. It’s pleasant.
Oudinot Medium Dry Rosé NV £26.00
Winemaker: Oudinot
63% Pinot noir, 23% Chardonnay and 14% Pinot Meunier, with an additional 16% of red wine from Champagne
Viticulture/Vinification: A traditional blend of three grapes, vinified in stainless steel with 100% malolactic fermentation. Slow second fermentation and maturation in underground cellars at 10°C and then aged on lees for a minimum of 24 months.
Base: 2007
Disgorgement Date: February 2012
Dosage:37 g/l
316 stores
12% alc
Some toastiness. Off dry. Pleasant enough.
Moscato Fizz Rosé NV £8.99
Winemaker and winery: Frédéric Brand, Boisset
96% Muscat and 4% Freisa
Grape must from Italy, crafted in France, a truly European wine
Viticulture/Vinification: This is a bespoke product made with a consumer-friendly result foremost in mind rather than usual geographic or appellation restrictions. Fermentation occurs at low temperatures in open vats followed by closed vats.
285 stores
8% alc
Light on the nose. Very slight taste of roses.
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