Champagne
In 1668, Dom Pérignon is said to have discovered how to make sparkling wine; today his technique is used the world over, although Champagne continues to make some of the finest. France’s most northerly wine region, Champagne is now home to 15,000 growers and 290 ‘houses’. A blend of grape varieties is usually required: white Chardonnay to add fruit and elegance, and two reds – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – to provide body and backbone.
Our wine buyers leave no stone unturned in their quest to find the best Champagnes, and Berry Bros. & Rudd takes particular pride in its eclectic range of artisan Champagnes that represent a real sense of terroir, original winemaking, labour-intensive viticulture (often organic/biodynamic) and the uncompromising excellence of the end product.
How Champagne is made
In 1668, in the village of Hautvillers, the monk turned cellar master, Dom Pérignon, is said to have discovered how to make sparkling wine; while the same technique is used all over the world today, the region of Champagne continues to make some of the finest.
So what makes wine sparkle? Adding a solution of sugar and yeast to a white wine starts another fermentation in the bottle which results in the bubbles. Once the yeasts have done their job, a sediment known as ‘lees’ collects on the side of the bottle; contact with this deposit during maturation gives the wine its characteristic flavours of freshly-baked bread, toast and biscuit. Once this sediment is isolated (remuage) and removed (dégorgement), the Champagne is topped up with a sugar solution to make it dry or sweet
The Champagne Wine Region
Champagne is the most northerly wine region in France and is situated north-east of Paris. There are three main vineyard areas: Côte des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne and Montagne de Reims.
Ripeness of the grapes is often a problem, which is one reason why a blend of grape varieties is usually used: the white Chardonnay to give fruit and elegance, and two reds – Pinot Noir (particularly to provide a ‘backbone’) and Pinot Meunier.
In Champagne there are around 15,000 growers and 290 Champagne houses. Traditionally, growers have sold their grapes to the Champagne houses which account for 70 percent of production and 90 percent of exports. Recently, increasing numbers of growers are making growers’ Champagnes themselves, using their own grapes.
The Champagne houses used to be organized into a Syndicat des Grandes Marques, which had 28 members, not all of them of equal quality. That has now been superseded by the Club des Grandes Marques, with 24 participants: Ayala, Billecart-Salmon, Bollinger, Canard- Duchêne, Deutz, Dom Pérignon, Heidsieck & Co. Monopole, Henriot, Krug, Lanson, Laurent-Perrier, Moët & Chandon, G.H. Mumm, Perrier Jouët, Joseph Perrier, Piper-Heidsieck, Pol Roger, Pommery, Ch. & A Prieur, Louis Roederer, Ruinart, Salon, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin.
Champagne Styles
Vintage Champagne
Made exclusively from grapes grown in a single year, this is produced only in the best years, and is released at about six years of age.
Non-Vintage Champagne
Most of the Champagne produced today is Non-Vintage, comprising the blended product of grapes from multiple vintages. Typically grapes from a single-year vintage will form the base of the blend, ranging from 15 percent to up to 40 percent.
Rosé Champagne
Typically light in colour, rosé Champagne is produced either by leaving the clear juice of black grapes to macerate on its skins for a brief time (known as saigneé), or by adding a small amount of Pinot Noir red wine to the sparkling wine cuvée. The saigneé method is more elaborate and costly, requiring highly-skilled winemaking, hence only a few houses still use it – among them Laurent Perrier and Louis Roederer.
Luxury (Prestige) Cuvée
Top of the range, this is vintage-dated. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Laurent-Perrier's Grand Siècle, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, Duval-Leroy's Cuvée Femme and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Demi-Sec (Rich) Champagne
Demi-Sec or Rich is a medium-dry to medium-sweet style which occupies the other end of the spectrum from the standard dry "Brut" style. Brut Natural or Brut Zéro contains less than three grams of sugar per litre, Extra Brut has less than six grams of sugar per litre, and Brut less than 12 grams of sugar per litre.
Recently Disgorged Champagne
R.D. (Recently Disgorged) style was introduced for the first time by Madame Bollinger in 1961, on the 1952 Bollinger Grande Année vintage. Late disgorgement allows the Champagne to retain its freshness, vivacity and fruity expression, despite the ageing.
Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Blanc de Blancs denotes a Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes.
Blanc de Noirs Champagne
Blanc de Noir Champagnes are made exclusively from black grapes, Pinot Noir (typically) and Pinot Meunier grapes. Bollinger's prestige cuvée Vieilles Vignes Françaises is the lead example.
Prices:
H/Bottle
£16.75
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 109cs
Bottle
£28.50
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1,276cs
Magnum
£61.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 120cs
D. Magnum
£150.00
D. Magnum 1 x 300cl 17cs
This is without doubt one of the finest, yet least known, Grande Marque Champagnes, made with mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. This Champagne is lively, elegantly textured and fresh, with a very long finish.
H/Bottle
£22.00
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 12cs
Bottle
£39.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 29cs
Magnum
£85.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 4cs
Bollinger was established in 1829 by Jacques Bollinger and Paul Renaudin. The House has a reputation for producing muscular Champagnes with body, depth and power; these are classic, complex, Pinot-Noir dominated Champagnes with the ability to age gracefully for many years.
A blend par excellence; Special Cuvée is the purest expression of Bollinger's house style. Its biscuity nose is endowed with hints of white fruit and the rich, full-bodied palate is perfectly balanced by fresh acidity and a soft, delicate mousse. A stylish Champagne that is ideal to drink now or in the next two or three years.
H/Bottle
£24.95
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 10cs
Bottle
£44.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 71cs
Magnum
£100.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 20cs
Bottle
£27.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 12cs
Simon Field MW, Champagne Buyer
Bottle
£27.50
A pure and powerful expression of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Chardonnay, this has as its base year 2008 and a dosage of six grams of residual sugar. A deeply satisfying nose of Mirabelle plum, almond and acacia leads to the palate where the mousse is fine and the texture rich; hints of flint and brioche add to the happy assemblage and the finish is impressive. A worthy dialectic.
Bottle
£28.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 39cs
This is a classic apéritif Champagne. Deliciously light, crisp citrus and apple orchard flavours mingle with sundry red-berried fruit. It is beautifully plumped out in the middle, courtesy of Premier Cru Pinot Noir fruit from the evocatively named village of Dizy, ending with delicate toasty notes.
Bottle
£28.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 43cs
Under the gifted management of Gilles Marguet, Le Mesnil is making stunning Grand Cru Champagnes from Chardonnay. With an unrivalled provenance and over two years’ bottle-ageing, our own-label Blanc de Blancs has a generous floral nose, a deliciously refreshing, yet rich palate and a clean, satisfying finish. The perfect apéritif for festivities, this Champagne is an absolute winner every time.
Under the gifted management of Gilles Marguet, Le Mesnil is making stunning Grands Crus Champagnes from Chardonnay. With an unrivalled provenance and over two years’ bottle-ageing, the wine has a generous floral nose, a deliciously refreshing, yet rich palate and a clean, satisfying finish. The perfect apéritif for festivities, this Champagne is an absolute winner every time.
Bottle
£33.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 416cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Champagne R&L Legras Brut is a pure and very satisfying expression of Chardonnay; the Brut has been aged for three years on its lees and has a modest dosage of six grams per litre. The floral aromas are complemented by an autolytic yeastiness and yellow fruits on the palate. Linear and focused, yet not without an attractive depth of flavour, the wine has a long mineral finish.
Bottle
£33.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 38cs
Magnum
£70.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 5cs
A blend of 30 percent Chardonnay, 40 percent Pinot Meunier and 30 percent Pinot Noir, this has nine grams per litre dosage. The nose has pure, red-berry aromatics of strawberries, raspberries and hints of pink grapefruit. The palate is vibrant with an attractive weight from the dosage.
The NV Brut Rose Premier Cru is a beautifully poised, centered wine. Predominantly Pinot Noir, the Rose impresses for its breadth and rich, voluminous personality. Hints of crushed flowers, Rose petals and sweet red berries linger on the refined, polished finish. The Rose is 40% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, including 18% still red Pinot.
Drink: 2012-2016.
Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Nov 2012
Bottle
£33.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 9cs
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer
Bottle
£34.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 31cs
The nose is honeyed with lime blossom and white peach – fresh, floral and elegant. There is a typical Cramant softness on the palate, with lovely harmony, absolutely no rough edges and a long creamy finish. Uncomplicated and hedonistic, this is a magnificent vin de plaisir, a pure old-school expression of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay: floral, rounded and wonderfully complete. White fruits, honeysuckle and gently buttered toast all vie for attention; this is impossible to resist!
Uncomplicated and hedonistic, this is a magnificent vin de plaisir, a pure old school expression of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay, floral, rounded and wonderfully complete. White fruits, honeysuckle and gently buttered toast all vie for attention; the wine has all the honest exuberance of the man himself and is impossible to resist!
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)
Bottle
£34.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 63cs
Who better than Benoît Marguet, doyen of Ambonnay, to complete our UKC Grand Cru trilogy? Sourced from the finest Grand Cru villages, this is perfectly balanced and richly structured. It is an exuberant and beautifully fragrant wine, with red berries and other summer fruits dancing harmoniously on the palate.
Bottle
£36.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 90cs
Nick Stewart – Wine Buying
Bottle
£36.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 71cs
The 2008 vintage was outstanding in Champagne and Mailly has crafted a typically complex wine, dominated by toasty and savoury Pinot Noir with the balancing Chardonnay providing just that; a joyful and harmonious balance. The wine’s fruit-stone core cedes to a long refreshing finish, while its impressive concentration bodes well for the future.
Bottle
£36.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 295cs
Magnum
£75.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 52cs
Billecart-Salmon is renowned for the quality of its delicate rosé – and rightfully so. This is a delightful rosé with a charming, fruity nose and palate with hints of roasted nuts.
H/Bottle
£38.00
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 11cs
Bottle
£65.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 50cs
Magnum
£122.55
Magnum 3 x 150cl 3cs
This perhaps explains the inherent complexity on the palate, with its notes of hazelnut, acacia and apricot garlanding the more usual descriptors of citron pressé, sweet spice and crushed rock. The dosage is seven grams per litre and the finish is powerful, with a twist of salinity to confirm the fact that the majority of the fruit is sourced from the great village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the balancing 30 percent coming from equally prestigious Grand Cru sites in Oger, Chouilly and Cramant
Bottle
£38.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 56cs
Moët et Chandon’s Brut Impérial, the House’s non-vintage cuvée, is still the number one best-selling non-vintage Champagne. Enticing with green apple and citrus fruit notes, it has an impressive depth and elegance.
Bottle
£38.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 52cs
With only four grams of residual sugar but appropriately enough, four years of lees’ ageing, this superb new cuvée takes Legras to new heights of excellence. Julien Barbier, the winemaker, extols its purity, power and its precision on the mid-palate, sentiments with which we fully concur.
Bottle
£38.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 4cs
The De Sousa Brut Réserve is a blanc de blancs, therefore made from 100 percent Chardonnay, its grapes sourced mainly from the village of Avize and sites in its immediate environs. With only six grams of residual sugar, this is a serious and complex wine, with notes of fennel, pear-skin and brioche and a powerful mid-palate, which is almost redolent of beeswax. A distinctive and serious vin de contemplation.
Bottle
£39.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 30cs
This has a salmon pink, copper-tinted hue and a nose redolent of roses, violets and also redcurrants, raspberries and wild strawberries. On the palate, these fruits develop a liqueur-like texture, counterbalanced by light citrus and mineral elements from the Chardonnay.
This has a salmon pink, copper-tinted hue and a nose redolent of roses, violets and also redcurrants, raspberries and wild strawberries. On the palate, these fruits develop a liqueur-like texture, counterbalanced by light citrus and mineral elements from the Chardonnay.
(Edwin Dublin, London Shop)
Bottle
£42.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 40cs
This wine is without doubt one of the very top non-vintage Champagnes. Its elegant complexities come from the barrel-ageing of a high proportion of the blend, together with at least four years' maturation in bottle before disgorging.
The quintessence of the House style, Brut Premier offers quality and glamour as well as excellent value. A structured, elegant wine, it is deliciously creamy with almond and toast characteristics alongside the complexity and roundness that are the hallmarks of this House.
Bottle
£42.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 22cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
This has a truly wide appeal and is perfect for lovers of exuberantly styled Champagnes. Feminine and fruity in its youth, it takes on a fuller flavour with age. The added reserve wines are specially selected to achieve the requisite elegance, balance and harmony. It’s perfect for the cellar as well as current drinking, which is an excellent excuse to buy more than one case!
Bottle
£42.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 121cs
Magnum
£86.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 28cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
This cuvée was first introduced in 2007.
The nose is packed with red fruit (raspberry, strawberry and redcurrant) alongside rose petal and lavender. The palate displays great rosé character with hints of verbena as well as Granny Smith apple. The mousse is very fine and the finish both long and elegant.
Bottle
£44.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
With its famous yellow label, this non-vintage Champagne is recognised as Veuve's flagship wine. It is a blend of around 50 Cru village and reserve wines from different vintages. Exhibiting fruit, finesse and style, this is a rich, classic Champagne with a yeasty bouquet that truly deserves its status as a Grande Marque.
Bottle
£44.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 85cs
De Sousa is based in the Grand Cru village of Avize in the Côte des Blancs. Vigneron and paterfamilias, Erick de Sousa is third-generation Portuguese who practices biodynamic viticulture. The De Sousa philosophy adheres to late ripening, allowing the vines to benefit from the mineral-rich soils and to develop palate profiles that are both rich and pure, with most impressive length evidenced across the range.
From 50-year-old Chardonnay vines, this blanc de blancs is fermented in oak. One of the few Champagnes that will benefit from decanting and aeration, the Caudalies is an eloquent testament to the quality of the Chardonnay grape, its personality informed by notes of white pepper, citrus, hazelnut, herbs, chalk, honey and stone fruits. Textured and powerful, this vinous Champagne will work well in the company of sole, turbot, lobster or even duck’s liver.
Textured and powerful, this vinous Champagne has the density that only comes from oak fermentation and will work well in the company of sole, turbot, lobster or even duck’s liver.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)
Until 31st August 2017 this product is discounted by 21%. Prices shown include discount; no further discount will be applied at checkout.
Bottle
£44.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 7cs
Made from 40 percent Chardonnay and 60 percent Pinot Noir, R de Ruinart makes use of 40 percent reserve wine and is aged on its lees for three years. The wine is elegant with floral notes to the fore and hints of white peach and acacia on the palate. An excellent apéritif wine, this is a splendid introduction to the delights from this most ancient of Champagne Houses.
Bottle
£45.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 41cs
The distinctive clear bottle for Ruinart’s Blanc de Blancs is based on an 18th century original. Its elegant Chardonnay persona is harmonious and elegant, capturing the House style. It is one of the finest blanc de blancs on the market, luminous of hue, rounded of form and lengthy in the memory.
Bottle
£45.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 21cs
The attractive light copper tinge to this presages the dark red fruit of this pure Pinot Noir Champagne, given just a little depth by a well-judged use of old oak which does not at all overpower the fruit. This oak ageing, combined with partial malolactic fermentation, results in a Champagne which maintains a high degree of freshness to offset the weight of the Ambonnay fruit.
Bottle
£45.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 10cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£46.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 9cs
All the hallmarks of Grand Cru are here, with brioche and flowers on the nose and an elegant palate which marries notes of lemon grass, gingerbread and honeysuckle. The wine effortlessly combines structure and finesse, and reverberates with a really authoritative Grand Cru crescendo on the finish.