Champagne has, since it was first created, always used to celebrate great occasions but the habit of using it for celebration was actually purely coincidental.  Because there are so many  historical celebrations in the Champagne region, the wine itself became associated with celebration becaise that was what they had there … and then, once the refreshing wine and the occasions were cleverly combined to become part of the marketing strategy of the brilliant producers, there was no turning back. The wine became increasingly more expensive and

the more expensive it became, the more we all wanted to drink it. As often as possible. Here then is my choice of a super six. At the moment.

BOLLINGER

Vieilles Vignes Francais Blanc de Noirs 1996

This is the best of Bollinger and it’s is a big champagne! The grapes are grown on ungrafted vines and the wine is produced from overripe grapes that result in a champagne with an almost syrupy consistency, without the thickness. Until 2004 Vieilles Vignes Francaises was made from the vines of three small plots, Chaudes Terres, Clos St. Jacques and Croix Rouge. Sadly in 2004 the vines from Croix Rouge were destroyed by pylloxera and from now on this champagne will be a monocru. As the Italians are with food, so the French are when it comes to making great wine. Winemaking is in their blood and in their genetic make up. I have no doubt that Bollinger will continue to be the great champagne it always has.

DOM PÉRIGNON

Rosé 1990

The Cuvée Rosé is intense without being heavy or smooth; the Pinot Noir almost overwhelming the Chardonnay but just enough to create an unusual but absolutely delicious blend.  The 1990 season was as close to perfection as they come. The winter was mild, the summer was hot and sunny and just before the harvest a few light showers made sure that there was no heat stress and a respectable level of acidity. Copper and pink with an aroma that reminds of  Christmas cake, full of ginger, candied citrus and nuts. This is a great champagne, a must have and essential for truly great celebrations.

HENRI GIRAUD

Ay Grand Cru Fût de Chêne 1996.

There is no doubt why this champagne got it’s name (Fût de Chêne is a cask of oak)! Henri Giraud and his family are famed for the use of oak in their champagne making.  The Giraud family have been making champagne since the 17th century and they own thirty plots of land in fourteen lieux-dits in and around Ay.  The oak they use comes from the Argonne forest near Ste. Ménehould, about an hour and a half from Ay.  Burnt gold liquid with a strong sense of vanilla it’s perfect for drinking right now.

GOSSET

Cuveé Celebris, Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV

If you like  Chardonnay, you’ll like Chef de cave, Jean-Pierre Mareigner has been working on this champagne since the mid-1990′s, reserving approximately 4,000 bottles per vintage.  The base wines didn’tt undergo maloactic fermentation (a secondary fermentation that converts malic acid into softer lactic acid) and some were fermented in wood. A blend of Chardonnays from eleven different cru’s – (most from the Côte de Blancs) include Grands Crus Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Premiers Crus Cuis, Grauves, Vertus and Villeneuve-Renneville – are bottled in a truly magnificent manner and encompass a young golden liquid that brings young ripe fruit to the glass in a way few others can.

KRUG

Clos du Mesnil 1979

The Clos du Mesnil vineyard is one of only nine officially recognized clos in Champagne.  The heart of the Grand Cru Le Mesnil-su-Oger has to be a place where Angels meet there’s no other reason why one specific area can produce a champagne that is so much better than anything else available to mortals. Like all Krug’s wines, it’s fermented in little barrels of aged Argonne oak and undergoes no maloactic fermentation and is complex yet rejuvenating champagne. Krug Clos du Mesnil is exciting and sparkles honey, peaches, blossoms but also vanilla coffee and pecan nuts.