What do you buy for the person who has everything? The latest gadget that will become obsolete by early 2019? A fashion accessory that is destined to become quickly unfashionable? No, the answer for Christmas 2018 lies in the world of fine and rare wine.
However, the mega-expensive end of the market is not the only place to look for a wine that is a cut above. Expensive bottles can often disappoint, while consumers overlook excellent value wines such as Languedoc reds and vintage, yes, vintage Champagne. The following collection is a mixture of affordable wines that overdeliver and those decadent indulgences for when nothing else will do.
Luxurious Champagne
Vintage Champagne remains a tiny and shrinking part of the region’s total production. But what value they offer — Pol Roger’s vintage Champagne is rarely anything less than magnificent and usually priced below £70. The quality is typically only slightly below the deluxe cuvees — Dom Perignon, for example — but the price is nowhere near. The list below offers value and pleasure in spades.
Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012
£52
Is there a better-value vintage Champagne? Moet & Chandon’s 2012 Grand Vintage answers in the negative — the complex, structured palate and long, elegant finish speak for themselves. A memorable gift for the discerning sybarite.
Lanson Noble Cuvee 2002
£115
This is something extraordinary. The justly lauded 2002 vintage has produced a Champagne of remarkable depth and complexity, yet one feels that the Noble Cuvee will develop so many dimensions as it ages. A rich, luscious mouth feel gives way to lemony biscuit, brioche and a multitude of flowery scents. Agile and powerful in the same breath, this deserves a special accompaniment.
Taittinger Brut 2012
£52
Setting the standard that others have since attempted to follow, Taittinger’s vintage Champagnes are always a very safe bet. Gorgeous aromas of honeysuckle blossom and citrus fill the flute, while the palate is both fresh and complex. One for Christmas Day.
Veuve Clicquot Brut 2008
£50
Everyone loves Veuve’s famous orange label NV Champagne, but only discerning connoisseurs realise that their vintage offering is much better value. This is a ‘serious’ fizz, with its lively, luxurious palate, incredible freshness and intense brioche and biscuity flavours.
Comtes de Champagne 2007
£153
The prestige offering from Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, never lets you down. It has long commanded a cult following amongst the cultural elite; Marion Cotillard and Charles Aznavour are now committed devotees. So with its growing fan base and historical pedigree, it’s a sensible choice for serious festive pleasure.
Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs NV
£70
One of my favourite houses, this remarkable property undoubtedly crafts Champagne’s best value non-vintage offering — the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve. And now they’ve gone one better with their new NV Blanc de Blancs. Benefiting from the extensive stocks of reserve wines held at Charles Heidsieck, built up over the years by legendary cellar master Daniel Thibault, the wine is utterly remarkable: toasty, rich, complex and yet extremely elegant.
Bruno Paillard Zero Dosage
£50
Bruno Paillard produces a racy, fruity and elegant range of Champagnes; this latest release is sugar-free and sublimely elegant. It seduces you with its mineral, citrus fruit and full-bodied palate.
Champagne Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Chouilly, ‘Mag 14’ AR Lenoble NV
£44
Exquisite be thy name. This grower Champagne from exceptional house AR Lenoble is quite remarkable — force and finesse merge with spectacular results. Fresh and vital on the palate, this is a very fruity yet dry and vivacious cuvee with a tight structure and good grip in the finish. Divine!
Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas François 2006
£135
This exceptional fizz is a prestige offering from the venerable house Billecart-Salmon. It was created in 1964 as a tribute to the House’s founder. It results from the blending of grands crus from the classified Cote des Blancs vineyards (chardonnay) and the Montagne de Reims (pinot noir). Its vinification, partially in traditional oak casks, underpins the generous character of this fine, elegant and rich wine. Moreish and impossible to resist, Nicolas François rarely hits a wrong note.
Indulgent Sparkling Wines
Black Chalk Classic
£35
Black Chalk is undoubtedly one of the best new faces in the English sparkling wine scene. The Black Chalk Classic is sublime: offering complex layers of coffee, toast, orange peel and Chinese spices on the nose. The palate is equally as impressive, and the finish long — a real treat for fizz lovers.
Jaume Codorniu Ars Collecta 2013
£26
Spain’s top-class bubbly from leading producer Codorniu, the Jaume Codorniu, is a beautiful alternative from Champagne this Christmas, offering lovely flavours of peach and apricot, supported by a caressingly soft texture. Beautifully balanced, this is proof indeed that Cava is not sub £6 level supermarket fizzy plonk.
Great Value White and Red Wine
Hunter’s Chardonnay 2016
£16
Another winner from New Zealand, Hunter’s Chardonnay is arguably one of the best produced in the country today — rich, intense flavours of citrus, tropical fruit and butterscotch are finely balanced out by textbook acidity.
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
£29
Delicious, velvety and not expensive, this Australian Cabernet from leading outfit Moss Wood is certain to keep everyone happy.
Villa Maria Gimblett Gravels Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2015
£23
To survive the onslaught of distant relatives on Boxing Day, you’re going to need something pretty special to get you through the day. We suggest starting with a glass of this exquisite red from NZ’s Villa Maria. It’s my favourite of the Kiwi Bordeaux blends, a very complex and elegant red much more akin to claret than anything made in California.
Chateau Argadens 2017
£13
For the naysayers who insist that good Bordeaux is always overpriced, I give you Chateau Argadens Blanc. A zesty, racy white, this delicious wine punches above its price point and then some! The Bordeaux steal of the year.
Chateau Lassegue 1998
£23
Another Bordeaux bargain, Chateau Lassegue delivers a lot of wine for the money. Beguiling aromas of cassis, leather, vanilla and violets fill your glass at a fraction of the cost of more famous names like Lafite and Margaux. Delicious.
Exquisite Fine and Rare Wines
Fattoria Le Pupille: Saffredi 2015
£200 (Magnum)
Quite possibly the best vintage of Saffredi to date, this prestigious winery is one of Tuscany’s finest. According to leading critic Monica Larner: “The 2015 Saffredi is a sultry and velvety wine from the Tuscan Coast. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot that sees 18 months in new and neutral oak. The textural richness is of the highest calibre, and the bouquet produces a long succession of black fruit, exotic spice and savoury tobacco flavours.” I’m sold.
Sena 2014
£162 (Magnum)
Please don’t let the fact that Sena is from Chile bias you — this is a blockbuster, and make no mistake. A project initiated by Robert Mondavi and Eduardo Chadwick, Sena was intended to prove that the wines of Chile could easily rival their more expensive cousins in Bordeaux. The 2014 is another standout example: expect an intense nose of black fruits, plum and spice, with ripe blackcurrant, blackberry and mocha on the palate.
Chateau Latour 1990
£1,175
It needs no introduction — Chateau Latour is one of the most magnificent red wines in the world. The 1990 is currently at its peak, an outstandingly complex and elegant wine that effortlessly merges force and finesse. It may not have quite the status of Lafite, but it is every bit equal in quality. Some would say superior.
Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet 2011
£475
While the fine wine world is undoubtedly predominately obsessed with the colour red, the Chardonnay vineyards of Chevalier Montrachet are virtually priceless and in massive demand. This is white wine on another level — strong, aromatic, intense, luscious and utterly moreish.
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