R & B Wines - Wine Price
List
CHAMPAGNE
Champagne - Listed by Champagne House
|
Btls
Avail.
|
Btl
Size
|
|
Year
|
Price per
Bottle
including
VAT |
Tasting
Score/Notes
Best Drinking
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NON-VINTAGE
CHAMPAGNE
|
|
|
NV = Non Vintage |
|
|
|
BOLLINGER
Bollinger
was established in 1829 by Jacques Bollinger and Paul Renaudin. Over
the years the vineyard holdings have been steadily increased with the
largest expansion taking place under the stewardship of the legendary
Mme Lily Bollinger. She ran the company between1941 and 1977 and today
it is managed by her great-nephew, Ghislain de Montgolfier.
Bollinger
produces classic, complex, Pinot-Noir dominated champagnes with
considerable ageing potential. |
|
|
|
|
15 |
75cl |
SPECIAL CUVEE
Brut Champagne
BOLLINGER
RP/William Kelley -
Disgorged in the second half of 2019, the latest
release of Bollinger's NV Brut Special Cuvée is based on the 2015
vintage, complemented by around 60% reserve wines. The wine is still
quite tightly wound after its recent disgorgement, opening in the glass
with notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, clear
honey and orange peel, with little sign of the nuttiness to come with
bottle age. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, muscular and
incipiently textural, with a deep core, ripe acids and a pinpoint
mousse. This isn't the most incisive vintage of Special Cuvée, but
it's powerful and vinous and will have fine gastronomic potential
with a little bottle age. |
NV |
£34.00 |
RP/WK91+
2020-29
|
|
12 |
75cl |
BOLLINGER PN VZ15
Brut Champagne
BOLLINGER
Vinous.com/Antonio Galloni -
A fabulous Champagne,
the NV PN VZ 15 is a new wine from Bollinger
and the first addition to the range in over a decade.
As the name implies, it is a 100% Pinot Noir built on a core of fruit
from Verzenay and based on the 2015 vintage.
Bright and vibrant on the palate, the PN VZ15
captures all of the Pinot richness that is such a Bollinger signature
but with the freshness and verve that make Pinots from Verzenay so
distinctive. Rich red fruit, mint, dried flower and spice notes play
off bright acids and veins of saline-drenched minerals in a display
of aromas, flavours and textures that dazzle all the senses. Think
of it as a baby VVF, but with the tension of Verzenay. The blend is
approximately 50% Verzenay and 50% Aÿ, Bouzy and Louvois, done about
half in steel and half in oak. |
NV |
74.00 |
AG94
2020-30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHARLES HEIDSIECK
This
is an excellent address for quality NV Champagne, at a fair price!
RP/William Kelley: This is one of my
favourite houses in Champagne, and after a period when their quality
flew under the radar, it seems that more and more consumers are finally
taking notice. Defined by the use of important volumes of old reserve
wines and long aging sur lattes, the house style is complex,
concentrated and immensely appealing. While the price of the
flagship Brut Réserve has crept up in recent years, it's now an open
secret that it continues to offer some of the best value in the region.
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
75cl |
BRUT RESERVE
Brut Champagne
CHARLES HEIDSIECK
RP/William Kelley -
Complemented by fully 40% old reserve wines,
the new release of Charles Heidsieck's NV Brut Réserve is showing very
well, opening up in the glass with notes of green apple, dried white
flowers, pear, candied peel and walnuts.
On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with
a textural attack and a racier, tighter-knit core than either the 2012-
or 2010-base renditions, displaying good concentration and underlying
richness. This is a bottling that continues to punch above its weight
and which both merits and rewards a few years in the cellar before
opening. |
NV |
£32.00 |
RP/WK91
2020-35
This wine
is remarkable due to the inclusion of 40% reserve wines from a multitude
of vintages and a minimum of 3 years ageing in vast chalk cellars in
Reims.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
VINTAGE
CHAMPAGNE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHAMPAGNE
BARONS de ROTHSCHILD
The name Rothschild is a guaranty of excellence in more
than one field, starting with that of wine.
Associated with some of the most prestigious wines in France and the
world, it is a family name which refers to a tradition combining
expertise and a sense of innovation.
Its representatives have close and long-standing relationships with the
leading families in the Champagne region and have united once again to
honour it by taking up the challenge to launch the Maison de Champagne
Barons de Rothschild. |
|
|
|
|
13 |
75cl |
BARONS de ROTHSCHILD
MILLESIME
Brut Champagne
DECANTER/Jane Anson -
A real success for this inaugural vintage
release of a Champagne that brings together all three branches of the
Rothschild family - Mouton, and their cousins Baron Eric at Lafite and
Baron Benjamin at Château Clarke. It has tightly focussed minerality,
softly toasted vanilla bean (without being sweet), hints of crab apple
and great persistency. |
2006 |
£150.00 |
JA94
2020-32
SPECIAL OFFER
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BOLLINGER
Bollinger
was established in 1829 by Jacques Bollinger and Paul Renaudin. Over
the years the vineyard holdings have been steadily increased with the
largest expansion taking place under the stewardship of the legendary
Mme Lily Bollinger. She ran the company between1941 and 1977 and today
it is managed by her great-nephew, Ghislain de Montgolfier.
Bollinger
produces classic, complex, Pinot-Noir dominated champagnes with
considerable ageing potential. |
|
|
|
|
6 |
75cl |
'LA GRANDE ANNÉE'
Brut
Vintage Champagne
BOLLINGER
Richard Juhlin:
I love the magical moment when I get the chance,
as the first journalist, to lighten the cork of the latest vintage of
Bollinger La Grande Année…….The wine is made from 21 villages with Aÿ
and Verzenay in the driver's seat backed by elegance from Le
Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry. The wine is characterized by vitality and
energy more than depth at present. The colour has a brilliant golden
glow and the mousse is almost panting in its resilient youthfulness. The
scent is beautifully house typical, dominated by apricot, almond,
hazelnut and a smoky sophisticated intensity as from a newly lit outdoor
fire.
The attack is stunningly intense and the weight in the oral cavity
leaves nothing left to wish for. Resilient energy and fullness are
combined with greatness. Anyone who has patience will be rewarded
with truffled flavour layers, chocolate saturated complexity and added
exoticism of honeysuckle in the wine's bouquet. |
2012 |
88.00 |
RJ95
2020-35
BIN END Price
|
|
1 |
75cl |
'LA GRANDE ANNÉE'
Brut
Vintage Champagne
BOLLINGER
Vinous.com/Antonio Galloni:
Bollinger's 2008 Grande Année is rich, ample
and full-bodied, with all of the pedigree of the vintage on display.
Dried pear, dried flowers, chamomile, red plum and mint develop as the
2008 shows the breadth and creaminess that are such signatures of the
Bollinger house style. A whole range of brighter, more floral and chalky
notes appear later, adding translucence and energy. The 2008 is 71%
Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay taken across 18 crus, and it is the Pinot
that very much informs the wine in both flavour and texture. More
importantly, the 2008 is one of the best Grande Années I can remember
tasting. Bollinger fans won't want to miss it. Disgorged November
2018. Dosage is 8 grams per litre. |
2008 |
£135.00 |
AG97
2020-48
BIN END Price
|
|
5 |
75cl |
EXTRA BRUT RD
Brut
Vintage Champagne
BOLLINGER
RP/Stefan Reinhardt:
Fermented in oak barrels and aged under natural
corks for almost 13 years, Bollinger's 2004 R. D. Extra Brut blends 66%
Pinot Noir with 34% Chardonnay from 16 crus, 88% of which are classified
as Grand Cru. The wine opens with a very clear, deep, rich and aromatic
but also pure and mineral-fresh nose of crushed rocks, cherries,
brioche, pain aux raisin, white nougat, chalk and ripe, yellow-fleshed
fruits. Highly elegant and complex on the weightless yet persistent
and salty palate, this is an intense, densely woven, firmly structured
yet elegant, beautifully refined and refreshing "recent disgorgement"
(February 2018) that reveals just a kiss of oxidative flavours that
adds even more complexity. A great Champagne on its way to improve
over many years in the bottle. |
2004 |
£129.00 |
RP/SR97
2018-34
|
|
2 |
75cl |
EXTRA BRUT RD
Brut
Vintage Champagne
BOLLINGER
Vinous.com/Antonio Galloni:
The most remarkable thing about the 2002 Extra
Brut R.D. is how tense and structured it is. Despite having been
disgorged over two years ago, the 2002 is very much tightly wound. After
several hours, the power and resonance of the vintage start to come
through, along with the natural richness of Pinot from Aÿ. Whereas most
2002 Champagnes are quite ripe in profile, the 2002 R.D. has plenty of
depth, but it is depth through concentration as opposed to elevated
ripeness. The low dosage style further adds to that sensation. Hints of
chamomile, sage, dried flower and red fruits emerge over time, but only
with reluctance. I would prefer to cellar the 2002 for at least a few
years. If that is not possible, readers should open the wine at least a
few hours in advance. Even so, the 2002's best drinking lies
somewhere in the future. |
2002 |
£158.00 |
AG95
2020-32
BIN END Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHARLES HEIDSIECK
Charles
Heidsieck is one of Champagne's historic houses founded some 150 years
ago.
Top quality! |
|
|
|
|
14 |
75cl |
Charles Heidsieck Brut
Millesime
CHARLES HEIDSIECK
Essi Avellan MW -
Deep golden colour. Highly
creamy nose with emerging toasty opulence. Full of luscious, ripe fruit.
Opens beautifully in the glass. There is impressive generosity on the
mouth-filling, oily palate, boosted by concentrated, age-mellowed
fruitiness. Long, almost chewy but appropriately fresh finish. Finely
balanced at 10g/l dosage. |
2006 |
£60.00 |
EA96
2018-30
|
|
4 |
75cl |
'BLANC des MILLENAIRES'
Blanc de Blanc Vintage Champagne
CHARLES HEIDSIECK
RP/William Kelley -
Disgorged in November 2017 after 13 years on the
lees, the stunning 2004 Blanc des Millénaires is a worthy successor
to the 1995. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of green apple,
pear, brioche and fresh pastry that are framed by a lovely smoky,
autolytic top note, the wine is full-bodied, ample and concentrated,
with ripe acids, superb depth at the core and a textural, vinous quality
while remaining very classical in profile. The finish is long and
expansive. A blend of Chardonnay from Cramant, Avize, Oger,
Mesnil-sur-Oger and Vertus, it saw nine grams per litre dosage. This
is a terrific blanc de blancs from Charles Heidsieck that has a long and
glorious future ahead of it. |
2004 |
£130.00 |
RP/WK95
2020-40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MOET & CHANDON
Famous
champagne house best known for its excellent DOM PERIGNON Vintage
Champagne Cuvee's |
|
|
|
|
4 |
75cl |
DOM PERIGNON
Brut Vintage Champagne
MOET & CHANDON
RP/William Kelly -
The 2010 Dom Pérignon is
already expressive, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp green
apple, peach, iodine, freshly baked bread, orange oil and smoke.
Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, it's soft and round, with
ripe acids, a moderately concentrated core of fruit and a pearly mousse,
concluding with a saline finish. Open-knit and pretty, this is a
giving Dom Pérignon that readers might think of as reminiscent of a less
reductive version of the 2000 vintage. |
2010 |
£124.00 |
RP92
2020-35BIN END Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JOSEPH PERRIER
The vineyards of Joseph Perrier are situated in
the Vallée de la Marne where it owns 21 hectares of vines, mainly
planted with Pinot Noir. Twelve hectares are located in Verneuil with
the remaining nine hectares divided between the villages of Cumières,
Hautvillers, and Damery.
Pinot Noir is in the ascendancy at Joseph Perrier offering a tense and
lively tone to the range. The Chardonnay grapes offer a contrasting
minerality and power. |
|
|
|
|
24 |
75cl |
CUVEE JOSEPHINE
Brut Vintage Champagne
JOSEPH PERRIER
DECANTER 03.2019/Yohan Castaing -
The 2008 Cuvée Joséphine
constitutes only the ninth edition of this iconic cuvée, coming after
1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2002 and 2004. It has a powerful
aromatic intensity with white flowers, orchard fruit, mint and white
pepper, while the dense, generous yet silky texture is supported by
finely-judged acidity. |
2008 |
£92.00 |
YC96
2021-50 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PAUL BARA
According to the
expert Champagne critic Richard Juhlin:
"Paul Bara is a
legend.....his Champagne is of world class". |
|
|
|
|
18 |
75cl |
'SPECIAL CLUB'
Brut Vintage Champagne
PAUL BARA
Vinous.com/Antonio Galloni:
The 2012 Special Club is a stellar wine, just
as it was last year. White orchard fruit, Mirabelle plum and spice
accents are immediately alluring. Rich and beautifully layered, the
Special Club possesses notable expansiveness. Lemon confit, marzipan and
dried flowers develop later, filling out the wine's frame with notable
layers of complexity. The deep, vinous style is immensely appealing,
to say the least. Disgorged: November, 2019. |
2012 |
£56.00 |
AG94
2020-32
TOP Champagne Vintage
|
|
1 |
75cl |
COMTESSE MARIE de FRANCE
Brut Vintage Champagne
PAUL BARA
Antonio Galloni -
The 2004 Brut Grand Cru
Comtesse Marie de France is beautifully focused in the glass, with much
of the pure energy and verve that is missing in the Special Club. The
interplay of freshness from the year allied to the inherent vinous
richness of Bouzy Pinot Noir yields a striking Champagne that truly
dazzles.
This is a knock-out from Paul Bara. The Comtesse Marie de France is 100%
Pinot Noir from the estate's oldest vines. Disgorged: January 2015. |
2004 |
£59.00 |
AG94
2015-25BIN END Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PHILIPPONNAT
The Cuvee 1522,
which celebrates the foundation of the Champagne
house and which is made in accordance with the 'recipe' of Charles’s
father, is predominantly from the Le Léon plot in Ay, but also uses
Pinot from the grand cru of Mailly and Chardonnay from Le
Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. |
|
|
|
|
6 |
75cl |
CUVEE 1522
Grand Cru
Extra Brut
PHILIPPONNAT
RP/William Kelley -
Disgorged in February 2020 with 4.5 grams per
liter dosage, the 2012 Extra-Brut Grand Cru Cuvée 1522 is already
showing beautifully, unwinding in the glass with hints of golden orchard
fruit, fresh peach, honeycomb and blanched almonds. Full-bodied,
vinous and concentrated, it's elegantly muscular, with terrific depth at
the core, racy acids and a seamless profile. Given its very recent
disgorgement, it's surprisingly open, but it will nonetheless reward
bottle age. |
2012 |
£67.00 |
RP/WK94
2021-40 |
|
41 |
75cl |
CUVEE 1522
Grand Cru
Extra Brut
PHILIPPONNAT
Vinous.com/Antonio Galloni -
The 2008 1522 is another compelling mid-tier wine
in the Philipponnat range. Creamy, sensual and inviting, the 2008 is
super-expressive today. Bright Chardonnay notes add energy to the Pinot
fruit in an effortless, gracious Champagne. Orchard fruit, dried
flowers, chamomile and lemon confit all resonate through to the finish.
The blend is 58% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ and Verzenay) and 42% Chardonnay
(from Cramant). Dosage is 4.25 grams per litre. Disgorged: July, 2018. |
2008 |
£65.00 |
AG92
2020-30 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
POL ROGER
Winston Churchill loved the Champagne from PR - a great recommendation!
|
|
|
One of the UK's favourite Champagne Houses - highly recommended! |
|
6 |
75cl |
POL ROGER BRUT
Blanc de Blancs Champagne
POL ROGER
RP/Stephan Reinhardt
-
Great elegance and
finesse already on the perfectly brilliant and aromatic nose shows Pol
Roger's 2008 Blanc de Blancs Brut, displaying white and stewed
apples with fine citrus flavours and discreet chalky aromas. The palate
is dense and citric, as if limes and lemons are squeezed on a chalky
rock. The purity, power and intensity is as remarkable, as is the
finesse and persistence of the bubbles, the mousse on the palate and the
long, persistent finish. Dosed with seven grams per litre, this
extraordinary Blanc de Blanc Brut tastes drier than the Réserve Brut,
but reveals a perfect ripeness of yellow fruits. The finish is lovely
aromatic and intense, but also clear, fresh, firm and absolutely
stimulating. This is a great Blanc de Blancs from the Grand Cru
villages of Oiry, Chouilly, Cramant, Avize and Oger. |
2012 |
£72.00 |
RP95
2016-27
BIN END Price
|
|
4 |
75cl |
POL ROGER BRUT
Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill Champagne
POL ROGER
RP/William Kelley
-
Pol Roger's 2009 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has
turned out very well, offering up a demonstrative bouquet of golden
apples, clear honey, hazelnuts and fresh pastry that's still quite
primary. Full-bodied, fleshy and textural, it's deep and
concentrated, with an ample core of fruit, ripe but racy acids, a
pinpoint mousse and a long, penetrating finish. This is an
expressive, deceptively immediate rendition of this bottling, yet
despite its charm out of the gates, readers willing to wait at least
five years will be rewarded with significant additional complexity. |
2009 |
£138.00 |
RP95+
2023-50
BIN END Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TAITTINGER
The Taittinger
Comtes de Champagne white is always a Blanc de Blancs (100%
chardonnay), and only produced in the best vintages; recent top vintages
are 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. |
|
|
Antonio Galloni -
"Comtes de Champagne remains the best value in grand marque Tête de
Cuvée Champagne". |
|
2 |
75cl |
COMTES de CHAMPAGNE
Blanc de Blanc Vintage Champagne
TAITTINGER
Antonio
Galloni -
Taittinger's
2008 Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is simply breathtaking.
I have tasted it many times over the years in various trial
disgorgements and it has never been anything less than compelling. The
final, finished wine captures all of that potential. Bright, focused and
wonderfully deep, Comtes is a fabulous example of a vintage that
expresses so much energy but with real fruit intensity, the signatures
that distinguish it from other vintages (1996 comes to mind) that were
similarly taut, but more austere in the early going. Although the 2008
impresses right out of the gate, it only really starts to open up with
several hours of air. The 2008 Comtes represents the purest essence
of the Côtes des Blancs in a great, historic vintage. Readers who
can find the 2008 should not hesitate, as it is a truly brilliant
epic Champagne that no one who loves the very best in Champagne will
want to be without. |
2008 |
£146.00 |
AG98+
2023-48BIN END Price
|
|
10 |
75cl |
COMTES de CHAMPAGNE
Blanc de Blanc Vintage Champagne
TAITTINGER
Antonio
Galloni -
Taittinger's 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be
nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics,
mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring
personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green
pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean
finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the
2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with
freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural
richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the
explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink
better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three
occasions I have tasted it so far. |
2007 |
£98.00 |
AG96
2018-47 |
|
4 |
75cl |
COMTES de CHAMPAGNE
Blanc de Blanc Vintage Champagne
TAITTINGER
Antonio
Galloni -
The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it
brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical
blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006
is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight
in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All
the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing
short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne
remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée
Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next
20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little
doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making. |
2006 |
£118.00 |
AG97+
2016-46BIN END Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page Last Updated 12.05.2021
|
