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Oddbins Wine Fair 2001 - Champagne & Sparkling Wine

A selection of Champagnes and sparkling wines from Oddbin's annual wine fair. You can also view my tasting notes on non-sparkling wines, from both the Old and New Worlds. (29/11/01)

Tasting Notes

Tasted in November 2001. Click to locate stockists:

Blin Brut 1995: Very yeasty on the nose. A soft mousse on the palate, which sits well with the yeasty and creamy fruit character. Good depth of flavour, and great value. 16.5/20 (£18.99)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: More yeast is evident on the nose than I recall from previous cuvées. Nevertheless, a more typical combination of fresh apple yeast flavours are evident on the palate, with good lemony acidity. A toast and biscuit edge develops. Soft and creamy mousse. A good, clean NV wine. 15.5/20 (£27.99)

Bollinger Grande Année 1995: Fantastic nose here, with a mix of nuts and marzipan, yeast and biscuits. Clear elegance on the palate, with a great depth of fruit coming through, with the same nuts and marzipan complexity. Wonderful balancing acidity and a soft mousse. Lovely stuff. Drinking well now, but sure to improve with further bottle age. 18/20 (£45.99)

F. Bonnet Brut Heritage NV: Quite a presence of smoky, mealy oak on the nose, with a contrast of rich fruit on the palate. A soft but fresh mousse. 15/20 (£15.99)

Henri Harlin Brut NV: A toasty and smoky nose here. Lots of creamy, forward fruit on the palate. A rich, slightly foamy mousse. Less depth than many of the other NV wines, although still very drinkable. 15/20 (£14.99)

Lanson Black Label Brut NV: A tasting of the NV cuvée on the market at the time of writing. A lovely nose, crisp and fresh, with some yeasty fruit. Strong mousse on the palate, with the sharp, crisp acidity so typical of Lanson. Medium bodied with a good depth of flavour. 15.5/20 (£18.99)

Lanson Gold Label 1994: Yeasty and biscuity on the nose, with plenty of fruit. Fantastic depth of flavour on the palate, a creamy note to the texture, with some nutty complexity to the flavour. Rich, with balanced acidity. 16.5+/20 (£27.99)

Lanson Noble Cuvée 1989: Surprisingly fresh on the nose, with just a buttery edge to the lemon-fresh fruit. A superb palate, again amazingly fresh, with apple and lemon flavours predominating, but with a honeyed, mealy richness in the background. There's just a slight creamy edge to the texture. I feel this wine has the potential to one day be a great Champagne, and I would continue to cellar for another five years at least. 18/20 (£61.99)

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV: A lemon golden wine, with clean fruit and quite subtle nutty nuances. Fresh and clean on the palate, with good, slightly nutty fruit. There's a creamy edge to the texture, good acidity and a soft, elegant mousse. 16.5+/20 (£24.99)

Louis Roederer Brut 1994: A classic, biscuity style on the nose. Very elegant on the palate, with a fine mousse partnered by a creamy texture. Lots of fruit, with almond notes. Great depth of flavour. 17+/20 (£45.99)

Taittinger Brut Reserve NV: A really fresh nose here, leading to a palate full of creamy, nutty and biscuity complexities. Fairly elegant mousse and correct, fresh acidity. This is a lovely NV wine. 16.5+/20 (£24.99)

Taittinger Vintage Brut 1995: This wine has good nutty and marzipan notes alongside aromas of fruit and yeast. Very elegant mousse on the palate, with a creamy texture and good body. A lovely depth of flavour with a rich edge. Delicious stuff. 17.5+/20 (£35.99)

Veuve Clicquot Brut NV: A nose of white fruit, with some mineral and smoke elements. Good acidity combined with a fresh, sharp mousse on the palate. Fresh fruit flavours. A hint of creaminess to the texture, and just beginning to display some toastiness on the finish. 15/20 (£25.49)

La Demoiselle de Champagne Tête de Cuvée Brut NV: A fairly pale golden wine, with some clean fruit on the nose, and just a hint of yeast. A crisp and lemony palate, with a simple foaming mousse and good fresh acidity. Some nutty and toasty complexities comes through on the endpalate. 14.5/20 (£19.99)

Lindauer Brut NV: A good, foaming bead. Fresh, lemony and light on the palate. Some soft fruits, with reasonable acidity, and a soft but crisp mousse. 13/20 (£7.99)

Lindauer Rosé NV: Strawberry fruit on the nose of this attractively coloured wine. Light and crisp on the palate, with more strawberry fruit. Overly simple. 13/20 (£7.99)

Lindauer Special Reserve NV: This has a more interesting mineral and strangely charcoal element to the nose. Similarly unusual character on the palate, with a combination of sour fruit and mineral flavours. It's individual, if nothing else. 14/20 (£8.99)

Deutz Marlborough Cuvée NV: Yeasty and a bit woody on the nose, but with some good fruit. Full and quite rounded on the palate, with a soft mousse. A touch creamy and nutty, which makes it pleasing to drink at least. 14/20 (£10.99)