With New Year on the horizon, what better time to celebrate all things fizzy. As a big fan of sparkling wines and champagne and with New Year approaching I (Scott) wanted to share with you a few of my favourites ready to toast 2022 in style:
Deutz Brut
We first discovered this bottle on a long weekend in Paris and it was enjoyed on a Saturday night after watching the England Rugby team win the Grand Slam. This champagne has now become a house favourite and all the family and friends we’ve shared it with have liked it as much as we do!
This Brut Non-Vintage is a full-bodied elegant champagne with initial tastes of pears, marzipan and toast and with a fruity refreshing finish. Perfect for enjoying with canapés and nibbles.
It’s based in the Ay region of Champagne and founded in 1838, this remains a family run estate, although it’s now part of the Louis Roederer group.
Deutz Brut is available online from several retailers from as low as £32 but it can usually be found for around £36.
Colet Cava
We first sampled this cava at Glou Glou, the wine bar run by one of our favourite local suppliers, Iron and Rose, where we enjoyed a bottle to celebrate sending out one of our first batches of boxes. Thanks to Robin and his knowledgeable team, we were able to learn more about the Colet winery.
The Colet Winery produce their wines via the Traditional Method. Sergi’s Masters in Champagne is expressed in their care and attention to detail which shines through in their wines.
Aged for 24 months on the lees, this wine has forward fruit flavours, a buttery feel in the mouth and a refreshing bone-dry finish.
It is available for £21 from Iron and Rose.
David Leclapart
A producer from the village of Trepail in the Remi region of France, which is an area of Remi unusual in that it is planted with almost only chardonnay grapes. The wines from David Leclapart are full of tension and complex flavours, as well as being pure and elegant in style. His wines spend time in second-hand casks from Domaine Leflaive in burgundy giving them additional flavour.
We’d recommend the entry level L’amteur which we enjoyed last Christmas and have bought two cases to tuck away for special occasions since. Or if you’re pushing the boat out then don’t look past his L'Artiste cuvee which is described by Sandia Chang of @bubbleshoplondon as “A true Work of art by David. My Favourite cuvee of his”.
All his wins are available from @bubbleshoplondon and range in price from £52 to £95.
A:Suenen C+C Blancs de Blancs
I first enjoyed this bottle over a long lunch with friends at Noble Rot in London a couple of years ago. This champagne is produced by Aurelien Suenen who is an ex-professional basketball player, and this particular champagne of his, is made from 36 year old vines in Cramant and Chouilly.
The wine has real complexity with fresh baked pastry aromas on the nose and orchard fruits with popcorn on the palate. This wine has grown and fermented naturally, with minimal intervention as these vineyards are working towards attaining organic status.
A tough wine to find but one to seek out. Available from The Whisky Exchange, at £71.20.
Perrie-Jouet Belle Epoque
This champagne was added to the list by our great friend and THP colleague, Daniel. Although this is the most expensive of our recommendations, if you’re looking for a knockout champagne this New Year’s Eve then you won’t be disappointed.
A world-renowned champagne with an elegant bottle design and from a prestigious Champagne house. Available in both white and rose versions with tastes of green apple, brioche and almond it’s easy to see why Daniel loves it.
The Belle Epoque is not a cheap affair, but it is definitely worth opening on a special occasion to enjoy with your loved ones.
Available from various suppliers and in a number of vintages typically costing around £150-£180 depending on the vintage.
I hope this gives you some inspiration when choosing your celebratory fizz this New Year’s Eve. We know there will be a lot of people across the UK who can’t celebrate how they had planned – thanks Covid. But however you choose to celebrate whether it’s with friends or sharing bottle in your pyjamas we hope you have a good one.
Cheers!
Scott
