The knowlegde

Our favourite champagne houses

Get the inside track on our favourite champagne houses, big and small, as well as some insider tips from Giles Fallowfield

Alain Thiénot

Founded in 1985
thienot.com

Run by Alain Thiénot, his daughter Garance, and son Stanislas, this is a true family business based on the edge of the city of Reims in Taissy. Here the family has invested substantially in a new state of the art winery only completed in 2003. The estate was originally based on vineyards in the grands crus of Mesnil-sur-Oger and Aÿ, and has now grown to 27 hectares
– half of which are premier and grand cru.

Non-vintage style and blend: Champagne Thiénot Brut (Chardonnay 45%, from Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger; Pinot Noir 35% from the premier and grand cru vineyards of Aÿ, Rilly-la-Montagne and Hautvilliers; Pinot Meunier 20% from Cumières and Damery, plus 20% reserve wine). A high proportion of Chardonnay helps give this cuvée freshness and finesse.

Price and stockists: details from Champagnes & Châteaux, 020 7326 9655, champagnesandchateaux.co.uk

New releases: Thiénot is about to release the latest Cuvée Stanislas Blanc de Blancs from the 2004 vintage. It will be available from Champagnes & Châteaux with a trade price of £42.59 ex-VAT.

Insider tip: Thiénot Brut Rosé NV (45% Chardonnay, 28% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, plus 7% red wine from one of the oldest vineyards in Aÿ) is a class act with attractive raspberry fruit and a nice refreshing grip of acidity.

Ayala
Founded in 1860
champagne-ayala.fr

Purchased by the Bollinger group in December 2004. Since the takeover, MD Hervé Augustin has set out to emphasise points of difference with its illustrious neighbour in Aÿ. He has done this partly by introducing three non-dosé versions of cuvées within the range, effectively highlighting the quality of the original wines at the same time.

Non-vintage style and blend: Ayala Brut Majeur NV (Pinot Noir 45% , Chardonnay 30% and Pinot Meunier 25%). Based on the 2007 harvest, currently with 20% reserve wine added and a low dosage of 8.5g/l. An aromatic black fruit dominant blend that’s dry without being austere, showing finesse and depth thanks to the quality of the crus used.

Price and stockists: details from Mentzendorff, 020 7840 3600, mentzendorff.co.uk
On-trade news: With growing interest in the on-trade in non-dosé styles, Ayala has a lot to offer. Thanks to skilful blending by winemaker Nicholas Klym, these wines are not overly austere, as both the Brut nature NV and the Perle d’Ayala Nature 2002 aptly demonstrate.

Insider tip: Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2004, just launched in smart new packaging, is another decent and more forward Chardonnay vintage to follow the top quality 2002 wine that preceded it.

Bollinger
Founded in 1829
champagne-bollinger.fr

This deeply traditional house controls a 163-hectare estate that supplies two thirds of its grape needs and underpins the high quality of its muscular, Pinot Noir-dominated wines.

Non-vintage style and blend: Bollinger Special Cuvée (Pinot Noir 60%, Chardonnay 25%, Pinot Meunier 15%).The current wine is 2005 based (45%) plus 45% from the previous 2004 harvest plus 10% of older reserve wine from magnum, some of which may date back 15 to 20 years. Aged for a minimum of three years on its lees and then given three months in the cellar. Has a relatively light dosage of 7-9g/l. On great form, the weighty, complex Bollinger style is rich with a long finish but showing increasing elegance as well as power recently.

Price and stockists: details from Mentzendorff, 020 7840 3600, mentzendorff.co.uk

On-trade news: Bollinger RD is now on the deliciously rich and toasty 1997 vintage which is a stark contrast to the previous 1996 RD with its razor blade citrus edge; a wine that might age happily post-disgorgement for another decade.

Insider tip: Bollinger made one of the best champagnes released from the 2000 vintage and it is drinking beautifully at present, as its performance in our vintage tasting (p.118-122) showed.

Duval-Leroy
Founded in 1859
duval-leroy.com

Carol Duval runs this large 100% family-owned business based in the village of Vertus in the Côte des Blancs. The quality of its vintage cuvées is built around the 200 hectares of prime vineyards it owns, mostly planted with Chardonnay. It’s listed in 150 Michelin-rated restaurants.

Non-vintage style and blend: Duval-Leroy Premier Cru Brut (Chardonnay 70% and Pinot Noir 30% from premier and grand cru vineyards). A high proportion of Chardonnay makes this light and quite delicate cuvée a good choice as an aperitif.

Price and stockists: £24.87 ex-VAT, 01275 891400, matthewclark.co.uk
On-trade news: Duval-Leroy is running an on-going ‘two glasses for £10’ promotion for on-trade accounts and will provide a POS kit including ice buckets, stoppers and glasses to run the promotion. And in a deal that runs from the start of November until the end of the year, in conjunction with UK on-trade distributer Matthew Clark, it will be offering its excellent 1999 Blanc de Blancs vintage for the same price as you pay for its NV Brut.

Insider tip: The 1999 vintage is a deliciously rich, mature Blanc de Blancs style that customers with a taste for champagne with a little bottle age will lap up.

GH Martel
Founded in 1869
champagnemartel.com

GH Martel, although relatively unknown, is one of the largest family-owned groups in Champagne and also sells wines under the Château de Bligny and Charles de Cazanove labels. It has been developing a following for its premium range, some oak aged, aimed particularly at wine connoisseurs and the on-trade.

Non-vintage style and blend: GH Martel Brut Prestige: (Pinot Noir 70%, Chardonnay 30% with around 15% reserve wine in the blend, aged for 30 months before release). Soft and approachable style with the large percentage of Pinot Noir in the blend giving it added richness and length.

Price and stockists: details from D&D Wines International, 01565 650952, ddwinesint.com

On-trade news: New cuvée Clos du Château de Bligny ‘6 cépages’ is a first for Champagne, coming from a walled 0.93 hectare single vineyard and being made from a blend of Petit Meslier, Arbane, Pinot Blanc, plus Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. IWSC successes this year included medals for three rosé styles: De Cazanove Vielle France, GH Martel Victoire and De Cazanove Tradition as well as GH Martel Victoire Brut.

Insider tip: Try the oak-aged Cuvée Victoire Fût de Chêne 1999. Le Gavroche recommends it as the perfect pairing with its signature dish soufflé Suissesse.

GH Mumm
Founded in 1827
www.mumm.com

Pernod Ricard is continuing to invest in the GH Mumm brand by re-introducing an excellent quality prestige cuvée to the range called R Lalou currently from the 1998 vintage. The 1999 and the just-released 2002 vintage show a step up in quality.

Non-vintage style and blend: Mumm Cordon Rouge (Pinot Noir 45%, Chardonnay 30%, Pinot Meunier 25%, 20-30% reserve wines, dosage 8g/l, aged for three years before shipping). An assemblage of 77 different crus with a backbone of Pinot Noir from Mumm’s vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and considerably more elegant than in the past thanks to Chardonnay from Avize and Cramant.

Price and stockists: details from Pernod Ricard UK, 020 8538 4484, pernod-ricard.com

On-trade news: GH Mumm has a long association with gastronomy. It has sponsored The Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards of Excellence, which recognise and reward the hottest young culinary talents, for a decade. Recent winners Lucknam Park’s Mark Stinchcombe and Richard Phillips from Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons will both be involved
in future food-pairing projects with GH Mumm.

Insider tip: GH Mumm de Cramant is a delicious, light, fresh all-Chardonnay cuvée, made at a lower pressure so it seems softer in the mouth.

Lanson
Founded in 1760
lanson.com

This famous house is sensibly focusing attention on the quality and style of the Lanson wines. In future, Black Label will bear a date of disgorgement so that those that like to age this non-malolactic cuvée can to good effect, adding depth to the fresh, lively fruity style. The vintage wines have always been worth seeking out and Extra Aged, served in magnum at the brand’s 250th anniversary party held at Château de Versailles in September, is a notable addition to the range.

Non-vintage style and blend: Lanson Black Label (Pinot Noir 50%, Chardonnay 35%, and Pinot Meunier 15%, between 15 and 30% reserve wine added. Aged for at least three years prior to disgorgement). Fresh and nicely defined with vivid fruit, partly because it doesn’t undergo malolactic fermentation as most other non-vintage cuvées do.

Price and stockists: details from Lanson International UK, 020 7499 0070
On-trade news: Lanson Gold Label Brut Vintage 1999 won a ‘best in class’ gold at the 2010 IWSC awards.

Insider tip: Gold Label Brut Vintage 1999 is a classy offering with an intense biscuity palate and lively sherbetty acidity. It comes from a blend of eight grand crus, five in the Côte des Blancs and three in the Montagne de Reims, and its pedigree shows.

Louis Roederer
Founded in 1776
champagne-roederer.com

One of the most celebrated houses in Champagne, whose wines are particularly renowned for their elegance and finesse, while Cristal is the most sought after prestige cuvée in the appellation. The quality is rooted in Roederer’s highly rated and slightly expanded 214 hectares vineyard estate, which supplies around two-thirds of their grape needs.

Non-vintage style and blend: Louis Roederer Brut Premier (Pinot Noir 40%, Chardonnay 40% and Pinot Meunier 20%, plus 8-12% of reserve wine, aged for a minimum of three and a half years before release. The dosage has come down slightly to around 10gm/l). Elegant, complex style with great finesse and structure that’s underpinned by the use of reserve wines from three different harvests, which are matured in oak casks for three to five years.

Price and stockists: from Maisons, Marques et Domaines, 020 8812 3380, mmdltd.co.uk
On-trade news: For only the second time, Roederer has released a number of methuselahs of the celebrated 2002 vintage of Cristal, with just 15 for the UK market. The Savoy is listing it at £18,900.

Insider tip: Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2004, one of the most luscious and seductive wines in the Roederer range, has much of the complexity and ageing potential of Cristal.

Perrier-Jouët
Founded in 1811
perrier-jouet.com

Perrier-Jouët is best known for the Art Nouveau style, Emile Gallé-designed flower motif that adorns its prestige cuvée Belle Époque, arguably the most distinctive bottle in champagne. Winemaker Hervé Deschamps has brought a new consistency to the whole range.

Non vintage style and blend: Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut (Pinot Meunier 40%, Pinot Noir 35%, Chardonnay 25%, reserve wines between 15-18%, dosage 11.5g/l, aged for 27 months on the lees before release). The light, elegant style of this Brut suggests a higher proportion of Chardonnay in the blend, but this is down to the intensity of Chardonnay component from sites in Cramant, Avize and Le Mesnil.

Price and stockists: details from Pernod Ricard UK, 020 8538 4484, pernod-ricard.com

On-Trade news: Older bottles, magnums and even jeroboams of prestige cuvée Belle Époque are available. The 1998 magnums are a more subtle contrast to the richness of the current 2002 release. The 1995 in jeroboam is a beautifully balanced, classic champagne of considerable length. At Harvey Nichol’s Fifth Floor Bar in London consumers can try a flight of PJ, each style matched with a different bite-size seafood canapé (£75 a head).

Insider tip: Blason Rosé NV is an exuberantly fruity and stylish pink fizz that remains a relatively undiscovered delight.

Philipponnat
Founded in 1522
philipponnat.com

The quality across the Pinot Noir-dominated range at Philipponnat has improved impressively over the past five years. Good use is made of 20 hectares of vines in some of the best crus on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims. The jewel in its crown is the single vineyard Clos des Goisses, a steep 5.5 hectare, south-facing vineyard, which produces some of the ripest and richest wine in the whole of Champagne.

Non-vintage style and blend: Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut (Pinot Noir 50-55%, Chardonnay 25-30%, Pinot Meunier 15-25%, 3 years lees ageing, dosage 8 g/l, reserve wine generally between 20-25%). The blend starts from the previous year’s NV in a kind of solera system. Elegant, biscuity with a creamy richness in the mouth, this has become one of the best NV champagnes in the appellation.

Price and stockists: details from Les Caves de Pyrène, 01483 554750, lescaves.co.uk

On-trade news: The non-dosé cuvée launched last year is simply the Royale Réserve (where the dosage is only 8gm/l), reflecting the quality of the blend. Listings now include Galvin restaurants.

Insider tip: Champagne Philipponnat’s Cuvée 1522 is a rich and pure 60/40 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay blend that commemorates the first historical record of the Philipponnat family in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.

Pol Roger
Founded in 1849
polroger.com

Pol Roger has entered a new era of excellence thanks to improved production facilities and access to more high quality fruit. As a result, its wines have been showing consistently well across the range, not just the excellent long-lived vintage styles which have always been the strength of this house.

Non-vintage style and blend: Pol Roger Brut Réserve (Chardonnay 34%, Pinot Noir 33%, Pinot Meunier 33%, above 30% reserve wines, aged for three and a half years on its lees and an extra six months before release, dosage 10.5g/l). A soft and attractively powerful three-way blend of Chardonnay, and Pinots Noir and Meunier. Extra lees ageing before release – the blend is currently based on the 2006 harvest – help rich, ripe, yeasty aromas develop.

Price and stockists: details from Pol Roger UK, 01432 262800, polroger.co.uk

On-trade news: While Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has moved on to the fine 1999 vintage there is still a little 1998 in magnum and decent stock of the elegant Pol Roger 1999 vintage in magnum, quite a contrast to the riper fuller style of the current 2000.

Insider tip: Pol Roger Blanc de Chardonnay 1999 is a superb vintage champagne capable of long ageing. This vintage is still delightfully fresh.

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine – November/December 2010