'Finest Bubble' tasting at Frederick's in Islington

For £40 there was an impressive line-up of wines and canapes, so I can strongly recommend events organised by 'The Finest Bubble'.( A few of us from Majestic (+partners) went along: Dan, Lucy, Donald, Vicky; and it was interesting to bump into my old colleague George Burroughs.) Champagnes on show included:

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV
Bollinger La Grande Année 2005
Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2005
Bollinger R.D. 2002
Charles-Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV
Charles-Heidsieck Brut Millésimé 2005
Charles-Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995
Charles Heidsieck Rose 1999
Laurent-Perrier Rosé NV
Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut NV
Laurent-Perrier Vintage 2006
Louis Roederer Brut Premier
Louis Roederer Brut Vintage 2008
Louis Roederer Brut Nature 2006
Pol Roger Brut Réserve NV
Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2004 75cl & 1.5L
Pol Roger Rosé 2006
Gosset Grande Reserve NV
Gosset Rose
Gosset Brut Millesime 2004
Gosset Celebris Ultra Brut 2002

+Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvee 2010
Hattingley Valley Blanc de blancs 2010
Hattingley Valley Kings Cuvee 2011

I think that for most of us the 'House of the night' was Charles Heidsieck. From the NV to the spectaular Blanc de Millenaires CH was on fine form without a single dud. Hattingley Valley's wines did very well against the competing Champagnes and hopefully we'll see their cuvees ageing well. Dom Ruinart was a bit of a disappointment but is still very young, so tasters with more experience may be able to predict where it's heading. Gosset's non-malo style of wine-making didn't seem to go down too well on the night, and I have to admit that I'm not sure what to make of that house.

I didn't take notes on the night, so these notes are of limited value in isolation, but I thought that some would be interested to know how these wines fared against each other. I've only made a few notes from memory and I should add that of the Bollinger range, it was the Grande Annee Rose that stood out (the RD and GA '05 being a little closed.) Pol Roger should be praised for providing their vintage 2004 in magnum and bottle (very different wines.)

• 1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  I'm not sure if I've given a bottle of fizz 94 points before, but this was stunning. From the colour in the glass to the freshness of the finish this was amazingly youthful, twenty years form the vintage. The nose had the usual Daniel Thibault toast but with more refinement and an elegant mushroom-note in the background. On the palate this was lithe and silky, aided with a reasonably high dosage that at no point felt clumsy (balanced by the excellent acidity.)
  
  This was my WOTN. If I'm honest this was head and shoulders above the other prestige cuvees on offer, (Donald even saying 'meh' at his sample of Krug) and this can be found more cheaply than all of them. I kept coming back to this and no one seemed to have any idea of when this wine will start to fade. Even though I have a number of these on order, I'm tempted to get more, as this is great value for money. I'd like to chart this wine's development over the next few years. (Disgorged 2014)

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• 2011 Hattingley Valley Kings Cuvée 92 Points

  United Kingdom, England, Hampshire

  I have to say that the Hattingley Valley range held up very well in the company of some serious Champagne.
  
  The Kings Cuvee stood out for its richness. Scoring this at the same level as DP and Krug might raise an eyebrow or two but this wine was stylistically very different to a Champagne and I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy drinking this more than an immature prestige cuvee. Although this only spends two years on the lees, the fermentation in burgundy barrels certainly makes itself known. While it may be a contrast to a Champagne, this is no thin English fizz; the fruit is soft with a nice touch of oak. Very good to drink now. (Dan, Vicky and Donald didnt seem as impressed.)

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• 2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

  France, Champagne

  I tried this after the Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires 1995 and in comparison this was painfully tight. I should have come back to it a at some point but there were too many people to chat too. I have to admit I felt disappointed but I'm never too keen on BdB releases when they're in their youth.

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• 2005 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  I can't say that this was significantly better than the NV. It did seem a bit tight at this stage; a reminder that being a product of a single year might not always be the best thing for a relatively young Champagne. It's also worth remembering that as CH are very fussy when it comes to vintage declaration, there's a full five years between this and the previous vintage release (2000). That may partly explain why this felt so young. But this is still one to watch.

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• 1999 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé Rosé 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  This won't be to everyone's tastes but it was certainly impressive. Toast and caramel are the order of business with this one, and although it's an un-PC way of putting it, this is a more masculine style of rose. This could certainly pair well with food. Antonio Galloni of the wine advocate lists the drinking window of this as 2008-2012. If I'm honest, I don't take his notes too seriously.

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• NV Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Réserve 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  I wish I'd concentrated a bit more on this at the time as whilst I remember the depth and toastiness of this wine, my main impression was this it outshone the vintage Roederer by quite a margin. In the UK it's worth hunting around for a good price on this as it can be a real steal considering the quality in the bottle. I know Dan found this to be one of the most impressive wines of the night.

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• 2005 Dom Pérignon Champagne 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Showing more toastiness than the Krug NV, this was pretty impressive for an 'off' year. While I have no doubt that this is a more forward vintage, for the purposes of current drinking, I might be more tempted to spend my money on mature vintage Champagne whilst sticking to ageing better years of prestige cuvees. So yes; this is a DP that can be drunk now but I'd rather buy something else.

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• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  No notes at the time but this was more refined than the DP '05 and in terms of drinking now, seems to be the better option for my tastes. I suspect that this was assisted by the fact that it's a non-vintage blend; I didn't get the ID code from the back label but the inclusion of 20-year-old reserve wine gives it an extra dimension in comparison with a vintage prestige cuvee such as DP. There can be no doubt that there's plenty of ageing potential here though.

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Overall it was a great night all round and we finished things off with a bottle of Piper (paid for by Dan) in a local pub. It was satisfying that the Piper Heidsieck did a very fine job, but I think I've posted enough notes on that particular wine.