Held in reserve: Field’s pick of the best MV/NV Champagnes
1 Krug, Grande Cuvée 169ème Edition Brut NV 96 £146.83-£199.99 Champagne Direct, Clos19, Davy’s, Hedonism, Jeroboams, Lay & Wheeler, Millésima, Private Cellar, Raeburn Fine Wines, Taurus Wines
Soft burnished gold, with a fine and persistent bead. The nose is suitably encyclopaedic, Mirabelle plum, fig and lemon pith and then hints of almond and brioche, the older reserve wines keen to contribute too. Steely foundations, an edifice for posterity, not immediately flamboyant but magisterial in its grip and liminal potential. Deft acidity, with orange groves and a spice market espied from the prow. All is set fair for this voyage. Length is impressive. Drink 2021-2030 Alcohol 12.5%
2 Eric Rodez, Cuvée des Grands Vintages Grand Cru Brut NV 94 £75-£84.90 Hedonism, The Champagne Co, The Finest Bubble
Behind the somewhat eccentric multilingual name and a paterfamilias
(Eric) who always wears the most eccentric glasses, we have one of the great multivintage cuvées, with all but 25% of the blend coming from reserve wine. Dosed low at 2.5g/L, the wine is unerringly complex, boasting bright red fruit with a savoury undertow, then clear citric acidity adding linearity and a rich biscuity core, courtesy the maturity of the components, all of which are now harmoniously integrated.
Drink 2021-2028 Alc 12.5% 3 Henri Giraud, MV16 Aÿ Grand Cru Fût de Chêne Brut NV 93 £99 (ib)-£161 Amathus Drinks, Fine & Rare,
Green Cellars, Hedonism, Lay & Wheeler, Master of Malt, The Champagne Co, The Whisky Exchange Twelfth-generation Claude Giraud now defers to his son-in-law Sébastien Le Golvet in winemaking, and maybe the grip of almost-austere Argonne oak has eased a little over the years. Nonetheless, this is a definitive statement of oak-fermented Pinot Noir-dominated Champagne from Aÿ. Two-thirds of the fruit is from the generous 2016 vintage and one third from a mature perpetual reserve. Resinous, sappy, with notes of crystalised lemon and lanolin, wood spice and yellow fruit; then a wonderfully complex palate which initially appears angular and even foursquare, yet with time and a little contemplation opens up seamlessly, with both fruit and wood influences finding harmonious resolution.
Drink 2021-2030 Alc 12% 4 Jacquesson, Cuvée 744 Extra Brut NV 93 £50.23-£68.95 Hennings, Lay & Wheeler,
The Finest Bubble, The Secret Bottle Shop,
Theatre of Wine, Uncorked
Despite its putative parentage of the balmy 2016 vintage, which makes up 70% of the blend, the Cuvée 744 bears all the ▶