This is good news for anyone who has ever wanted to sample different champagnes but has been wary of buying a bottle of something new in case they didn’t find they liked it.
We went along to a blind tasting of all the champagnes that will be on offer and the differences between them were noticeable and interesting with each person present finding a different favourite. Mine was Cuvée 738, Jacquesson which will be on the ‘menu’ next year.
This new offering will be launched with Billecart-Salmon’s Brut Réserve. Founded in 1818, Billecart Salmon is one of the few houses to remain family owned and earned an international reputation in the 1990’s when it’s Cuvee Nicolas-Francoise Billecart 1959 won first place in the Champagne of the Millennium competition. The Brut Réserve is an elegant and slightly silky Champagne with a precise, floral finish and a mature nose.
November – Brut Premier, Roederer: The location of the three Roederer Vineyards in Montagne de Reims, Marne Valley and Côtes de Blancs, the three classic Champagne districts, provides a rich palette for the Brut Premier, a complex yet fresh Champagne with a beautiful vinosity.
December – Special Cuvée, Bollinger: a complex nose of ripe fruit and spices alongside a subtle, velvety texture gives this pinot-dominated Champagne complexity and structure.
January – Brut, Laurent-Perrier: From one of the world’s most famous Champagne houses, Laurent Perrier’s Brutis made with 50% Chardonnay, Champagne’s rarest grape variety, before being aged for a minimum of three years and rested for several months, giving the wine a balance and freshness unique to the Laurent-Perrier’House style’.
Les 110 de Taillevent certaily changed the London restaurant and wine scene when it opened late last year, pairing its extensive list of 110 rare and singular wines by the glass with its 30 seasonal French dishes across four price brackets – less than £8, less than £14, less than £20 and over £20.
This vast selection of wines and champagne by the glass has been carefully curated by Pierre Bérot, Director of Wine for Taillevent Paris.