2006 Champagne

Louis Roederer, a wonderful family-owned Champagne House founded in 1776, has a tremendous reputation for quality. In 1876 the House created the now famous Cristal, at the request of Alexander II. This once intensely sweet wine is now one of the most luscious, deeply flavoured Champagnes available.

From the warm 2006 vintage, this has arich bouquet with hints of zesty fruit, lilies and light toasted hazelnuts. As it develops in the glass the fruit aromas become more intense and complex. The palate confirms the delicate fruit with a deep, ripe flavour and silky texture, finishing crisply with a pure, mineral balance. As a young wine this is already deliciously balanced and charming, and promises to be a magnificent Champagne in full maturity.

One is in no doubt, when chatting and tasting with the affable Laurent Champs of Champagne Vilmart, that one is in the presence of a very assured and gifted winemaker, a visionary in the mould of his close friend Anselme Selosse. These wines are neither over-made, nor mediocre. Instead they represent some of the best examples to come from the Montagne de Reims.

As you taste through Vilmart’s range, this single plot (55-year-old vines) of predominantly Chardonnay really does shine at the apex; so justly called Coeur de Cuvée – literally too, as the very best juice at the heart of the pressing is used for this Champagne. The sheer wealth of fruit is amazing, but, as always at Vilmart, this is superbly balanced with invigorating acidity and supple oak which blossoms beautifully as it lingers in the glass. Good anytime with scallops or lobster, or on cooler evenings with grouse or partridge.

Taittinger is one of the few family-owned, independent Champagne houses in Reims. Its top Champagne is Comtes de Champagne. First produced in 1952, it is made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes from six Grand Cru sites in the Côte de Blancs. This is finely aromatic, rich, creamy blanc de blancs at its best.

The 2006 epitomises Taittinger’s famed purity and elegance. This is a wine of the very highest calibre. The nose is beautifully poised, clean and pure with waxy lemon notes and the merest hint of biscuit. The palate is effortless, so fine, yet has no shortage of complexity or length. Citrus-laden, a tiny hint of white chocolate comes with the creamy texture. Tasted alongside the 2004 it is clear that the 2006 is going to develop in a similar, fine, fashion and I suspect, given the precision it displays now, the 2006 is likely to surpass that fine vintage in time.

Pol Roger is perhaps best known as Winston Churchill's favourite Champagne. The House remains family-owned and has a reputation for producing Champagnes of finesse and elegance which age very well.

This is a vintage Pol Roger which is immediately very, very likeable – positively luxurious in its weight and complexity. On the nose it is showing layers of character, soft peach and ripe, almost autumnal apples with a frame of fresh honeycomb. The palate is no different, the weight of fruit in the mid-palate means that this can be enjoyed now. The white pear, crisp apple and spicy white pepper notes taper to a taut close with finishing acidity which is trademark Pol Roger.

Dom Pérignon was the 17th century Benedictine monk who has gone down in history as the person who “invented” Champagne, and the name Moët & Chandon uses for its prestige cuvée, which was first released in 1937. A rigorous selection process in both the vineyard and winery ensures that only the best grapes go into Dom Pérignon.

This is tightly wound at the moment, with small, crunchy red berries and lemon pith on the nose. Taut across the palate as well, with a very delicate mousse and saline, mineral finish and some stone-fruit fleshiness. Very complete and recognisably Dom Pérignon, this will benefit from a couple of years in the cellar to fatten up. A hybrid of the 2002 and 2004, this sits very neatly in the line-up of recent releases from this esteemed brand. Drink now to 2030.

Lemon gold appearance with a delicate creamy mousse. The nose is rich and complex showing soft floral tones with citrus and orchard fruit entwined with hints of vanilla and hazelnut. The palate is fresh with an abundance of lemon and apple, a rich nuttiness with a hint of salinity balanced with inviting acidity and a rounded smooth finish. A delicious wine which will develop beautifully over time.

Champagne Gosset is the oldest wine producer in Champagne, dating back to 1584. Situated in the tiny Grand Cru village of Aÿ, 5km from Epernay, Gosset has some rather famous neighbours, including Bollinger.  Gosset’s blends come from some of the best villages across the Marne Valley encompassing both Grand and Premier Crus. It may not be the most famous of the Grande Marques simply because they don’t produce vast quantities, making only 1.3 million bottles a year, yet the quality of production here is at a very high level.

With this small production, Gosset concentrates on the quality of its wines rather than the quantity. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Gosset style comes from their decision to create most of their cuvées without the use of malolactic fermentation; this preserves the purity of the fruit in the wine. This is evident in the 2006 Gosset Grand Millésime.  Having spent eight years maturing in the darkness of the Champagne Gosset cellars in Epernay, this 56 % Pinot Noir and 44 % Chardonnay wine is an excellent expression of the 2006 harvest (disgorged in spring 2015).  With a “low dosage” and no malolactic fermentation this is a very precise Champagne, with a move away from the brioche, toast notes one often

The Pol Roger Rosé is often mooted by the critics as one of the best on the market. Pol Roger does not make a Non-Vintage Rosé, preferring to release only in vintage years. The 2006 Brut Rose Vintage is produced from a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay drawn from some 20 Premiers and Grands crus on the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.

In order to obtain its delicate colour and subtle nose 15% Pinot Noir, from selected vineyards in Bouzy, Ambonnay and Cumieres, is vinified “en rouge” and added to the blend prior to the second fermentation.


Wonderfully salmon pink hue, with lots of fresh red berries on the nose, this is a fine rose from Pol Roger. Creamy and textured on the palate, this would be a brilliant match with a raspberry soufflé or summer pudding.
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager

Fresh wild strawberries, whipped vanilla cream and caramelised pastry – no this isn’t a delicious pudding, but a regal rose Champagne from the infamous Pol Roger. A lovely rusty pink colour in the glass with spicy peppercorns, summer blossom and fresh herbs. The 2006 grips to your taste buds with layer upon layer of red summer berries. This has all of the finesse I would expect, with a persistent and long finish.
Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager

The Roederer 2006 is dominated, as usual, by Pinot Noir, although its evanescent elegance and balletic mousse is such that one would infer more than the 30% Chardonnay in the blend. Avize Chardonnay has a tendency to steal shows I suppose, with its spring flower charms entwining the more savoury notes from the Verzenay Pinot Noir. Hints of bitter almond , quince and the early morning boulangerie complete the picture, a Corot street-scene perhaps.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

We are delighted to offer a Champagne World Exclusive – Pol Roger have partnered with Berry Bros. & Rudd to offer a parcel of 3 x magnum cases of a late disgorged, Limited Edition 2006 Pol Roger with a commemorative label to mark the 50th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill's death last year.

Sir Winston Churchill was of course Pol Roger's greatest exponent, and in celebration of his remarkable life and legacy, the Champagne house have released a small quantity of these commemorative magnums, something that Pol Roger have not done in 20 years and are unlikely to do again. They were only hand labelled and hand disgorged earlier this year meaning they have seen extended lees aging, over 9 years, helping to add further nuance and additional weight to the final product.

Magnums of vintage Pol Roger are only ever produced in very small quantities making this limited release even more enticing, and for each magnum produced the Champagne house are donating £5 to the Churchill Charity.

The label and box design comes from the winner of the 3rd annual ‘Winston Churchill Design Competition 2015’ which invited entries from over 100 international art and design colleges in more than 20 countries. The eventual winner was Sara Griffin from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Magnificent volume with fruity first aromas leading into rich substance, accented with a slight tannic presence. Its texture is precise and generous on the palate, combining freshness and fruitiness. Incredibly persistent, complex flavour.

Stunning on the nose, promises so much, rich, complex depth of apricot, peach, freshly baked brioche and lemon curd. Delightful in the mouth, delivering superbly on the promise from the nose – mouth filling, powerful but wonderfully elegant with a beautiful mineral touch. Silky spice, ripe apple, toasted almond and lime peel – there’s a great tension and balance to this wine which make it impossible to resist now. The finish just goes on… If you can hold for another 5- 10 years, you will be generously rewarded. One of the highlights of 2017 for me.
Ben Grosvenor, Fine Wine Account Manager