June 2015 Portfolio
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June 2015 Portfolio Tel: 020 7359 1608 [email protected] Discussion and plans began back in April 2014 and we launched TFB a few months later in September, with a tasting of some of the first wines to make it on to our website. Since then we have been on Our Team a fast and exciting journey of discovery. The range has developed considerably and I now feel we have a core of great champagnes to Nick offer something for everyone. Managing Director [email protected] Our business model is to keep our overheads at an absolute min- 07973 654097 imum, so we can bring you great value, especially if you take ad- vantage of tiered pricing. We are also trying to encourage people to Carol try new champagnes, so don’t forget you can mix up the bottles in PR and Marketing Manager a case and if we can help you choose we are just a phone call away. [email protected] 07866 693453 In the last 20 years we have had a couple of vintages in Champagne that are widely acclaimed as outstanding, these being 1996 and Chris 2002, which is why we have sourced as much as we can of these Office Manager now rare finds. The 1996s are increasingly scarce and so are some [email protected] of the 2002’s so we encourage you to cellar some of these before 07957 027337 they are gone or before I drink them! There are many other vintag- es rated a little less than a perfect 100, but just as delicious, check Denis out the website for more detailed vintage information. Solicitor and Consultant [email protected] Later in the Autumn we will be holding a very informative and exclusive tasting, hosted by Jancis Robinson MW, for more infor- mation check out the website. We will also be creating other events throughout the year so keep an eye on the events section. I hope we encourage you to experiment a little more, every cham- pagne has its own charm and moment when it’s perfect if not for yourself, perhaps to send as a gift. Best wishes Nick Baker Prices correct as at 15 June, 2015. Please check website for updates & promotional offers. Terms & Conditions apply - see TheFinestBubble.com SAME DAY FREE DELIVERY BUY & SPECIAL EVENT & WE GIFT WRAP BUY & CELLAR DELIVERY ON 6 OR MORE BOTTLES COLLECT TRADE PRICING WITH US 4 12 20 26 8 10 14 17 32 27 33 31 28 34 24 Louis Roederer 4 Laurent-Perrier 24 Bollinger 8 Rosé Champagne 26 Charles Heidsieck 10 Salon 27 Dom Ruinart 12 Pol Roger 28 Dom Pérignon 14 October tasting 31 Bottle vs Magnum 17 Champagne Vintage Guide 32 Magnums 19 Taittinger 33 Krug 20 Veuve Clicquot 34 Louis Roederer intro (image and text). Page 2 stablished in 1776, Louis Roederer is one of the last great in- Champagne he could and felt that the way to do that was to own Champagne was created exclusively for the Tsar and the iconic dependent family-run Champagne Houses. Today it is run his vineyards, and not, like most other Houses, buy in grapes Cristal was born. Placed in an iconic bottle with a flat base made by Frédéric Rousaud, CEO who is the seventh generation of from growers. This strategy led him to acquire some of the finest from clear crystal, the Tsar was happy that bombs and poison Ethe Roederer family. His right hand-man, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon land in the region and today it amounts to some 240 hectares of would not come between him and the enjoyment of his favourite the Chef de Cave has been creating stunning wines at Roederer Grand and Premier Cru Vineyards in the Marne. This belief that tipple. since 1999. As a winemaker, Jean-Baptiste is very proud of his great wine depends on the quality of the soil is still part of their craft and declares that at Roederer “we don’t blend we combine” philosophy today. Cristal is now not just for the Tsar of Russia but little has changed and says “I love art, and like a great painter we add colour rather in terms of how it is produced. Jean-Baptiste only creates Cristal than blending it”. Each small parcel is hand-picked and pressed on the harvest site from the finest vintages and therefore it is not created every year then vinified separately so as to keep the true character intact. and when it is, production is tiny. The blend is usually 55 per cent Being in the enviable position of owning the majority of their Each of the lots is then tasted several times until blending, when Pinot Noir and 45 per cent Chardonnay from only the best rated own vineyards, they are able to experiment as well as supply 70 they are chosen for their unique characters to create the perfect sites of Champagne Louis Roederer’s vineyards. Cristal is released percent of the grapes to produce non-vintage wines and 100 per- Roederer style. after six years ageing in the Reims cellars and is the benchmark cent of the vintage wines, which is very rare in Champagne today. for luxury champagnes. The experimentation has led them to create and manage some In the 1870s, Louis Roederer began exporting his wines to the biodynamic vineyards for nearly ten years. Although they are not USA and Tsar Alexander II of Russia. The Tsar was a suspicious For everyday drinking the Louis Roederer Brut Premier is pro- looking to get certification, the resulting wines have produced man and believed his enemies might try to tamper with his belov- duced with the same care and attention to detail. The style is cre- some amazing flavours and created some wonderful additions to ed Champagne to get rid of him. He thought that the traditional ated from eight different harvests, utilizing all three Champagne the resultant blends. Champagne bottle with the punt at the bottom could perhaps grape varieties from more than 40 different plots. The final blend conceal a bomb and the glass being so dark could camouflage is matured for three years in the cellar and rested for six months From the beginning Louis Roederer wanted to create the best the addition of poison. So in 1876, the very first Prestige Cuvée after disgorgement to perfect maturity. 4 Louis Roederer Cristal 1996 RRP £1278.00 | Price per bottle £1195.00 From an outstanding vintage, this is incredibly youthful, fresh and well-balanced: one of the best The 1996 vintage was one of those standout years; one of, if not the, best of the last twenty. A warm beginning to June followed by a cooler end, provided favour- able growing conditions: the weather fluctuation resulted in staggered flowering of the Chardonnay grapes. September was sunny but mild with light scattered showers creating incredible grape maturation with high sugar and acidity levels. This unique sugar/acidity balance combined with small, concentrated berries revealed an aromatic depth rarely seen in Champagne. The colour of Cristal 1996 is a matured yellow and it boasts flowing, delicate bubbles. The nose is rich with ripe fruit aromas of peaches and apricot. In the mouth, you can really taste the concentrated Chardonnay and it has a fresh, lingering finish. This is a remarkably well-balanced Champagne and it is ageing wonderfully, still very youthful and surely one of Roederer’s best ever. 2002 RRP £299.00 | Price per bottle £275.00 | Price per bottle when buying twelve £258.50 Luxury champagne; decadent image, delectable taste - 2002: their best vintage! All the exceptional characteristics of the 2002 vintage have literally been captured in this Cristal 2002, which is generous and lush, revealing perfect balance between concentration and finesse, freshness and vinosity, intensity and refinement. In three words: proud, rich and luxurious. Brilliant yellow with light amber highlights and has a beautiful fine mousse. The nose is intense and delicate, revealing a clean and well-blended mixture of flavours of honey, cocoa, lightly toasted hazelnuts, candied citrus fruit. A savoury explosion of ripe fruit and the wine reveals red fruit, white chocolate, caramel and Danish pastry, typical of Cristal. Its silky, concentrated texture relies on its intense, powerful and vinous structure, but maintains refinement. The palate builds up to attain a delicious sensation of well-blended harmony of flavours. 2006 RRP £185.00 | Price per bottle £155.50 | Price per bottle when buying twelve £139.95 Luxury champagne; decadent image, delectable taste - 2006 a year of rich fruit & crisp acidity Cristal is a blend of Grand Crus from the Reims mountain, the warm 2006 summer led to a long dry September hastening the ripening process producing the distinctive, rich, complex grapes. Twenty percent of the wines blended are vinified in oak barrels and the final product is matured for 5 years in cellars and rests for 8 months after disgorging. This champagne has a rich colour with light amber highlights, characteristic of 2006; a year of very fine ripeness. There is a rich bouquet with citrus fruits such as lemon and orange and a few hints of tart tatin and Danish pastries add a final touch to the already complex range of aromas. The texture is incredibly concentrated, giving the impression of biting into a ripe, fleshy fruit. The palate is enveloped by this depth of juicy, silky fruit, which soon makes way for a pure, sharp, graceful freshness. Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2002 RRP £695.00 | Price per bottle £695.00 Proud, rich and luxurious; this is one of the rarest champagnes & voted ‘Supreme World Champion’ The 2002 vintage was an extraordinary year combining constant warm temperatures, reduced rainfall in the growth cycle, cool nights and a cold dry north-easterly wind.