In a recent blind tasting of 64 Champagnes, renowned wine critic Jancis Robinson scored the Lallier Grand Cru Champagne 17.5 out of 20. Only 3 of the 64, which included Lallier, received this exceptional score, the other two being vintage Champagnes.

Lallier shrugged off competition from all the big boys - Bollinger, Moët & Chandon, and Roederer to name just a few.

The full tasting note in Purple Pages:
Lallier Grand Reserve Grand Cru NV “Ay. Quite a deep straw. Smells a bit wild-flower-like, sort of biodynamic! Fleury? Tight knit with lots going on. Interesting even if there is a bit of bruised apple on the finish. Quite long and certainly interesting. A bit chewy, but very attractive” (17.5/20, drink 2010-2014)

The background: Lallier is a small family concern crafting Pinot Noir dominated blends from Grand Cru sites around Ay (also home to Bollinger, but Lalliers cellars are older). Much of their fruit is sourced from ‘Grand Cru’ vineyards - the crème de la crème of vineyard sites, classified as 100 out of 100. Like Bollinger, Lallier also use a high proportion of Pinot Noir in their blend (the Rosé is 100% Pinot Noir), so with Champagne Lallier you get a Pinot Noir dominated blend from Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites - a rarity.

There is incredible investment that gone into this wine. Matured in bottle on its lees in chalk cellars for four years, the result is a truly brilliant Champagne with a pale lemon colour, good steady fizz, and that powerful typical ‘bready’ Champagne nose. On the palate it is a big complex wine, quite vinous with lots of flavour in the mouth followed by a long, dry finish. A celebration in itself.

Additional awards and accolades:

International Wine Challenge 2008, Bronze Medal

Sommelier Wine Awards 2009, Short List

Our range of sparkling wine.

You may not have been able to miss the much publicised difficultly the Champagne houses have found themselves in since the recession clicked into gear. Like every market with a cheaper alternative, many people will downgrade.

In the case of sparkling wine, moving from Champagne to less expensive sparkling wine, such as the Spanish Cava or Italian Prosecco, would be akin to buying a Skoda instead of a VW, a laptop instead of a Mac or a box of supermarket own brand Weetabix instead of the real thing (Yes, I firmly believe that nothing beats the real thing when it comes to breakfast cereal.)

In essence, that’s what many consumers have been doing when it comes to drinking wine. They’ve taken a little bit of a hit, and erring on the side of caution, they’re happy to save a few quid and not drink quite as well as they perhaps once did.

Nick Squires (Telegraph.co.uk) reported on the situation in the UK at the end of last year. Over Christmas and in the run up to the New Year, Prosecco sales at Sainsburys were up 60-70%. Not only this, but shipments of Champagne to Britain fell by 32% in the first nine months of the year. According to the Italian Food and Wine Institute, Italy actually exported more Spumante and Prosecco than it consumed.

So it would seem producers of Cava and Prosecco are not having it as bad as their French rivals, and they’ll be the first to argue they are offering better value. And there are some astonishing examples of sparkling wine out there from Spain, Italy and beyond, but most wine drinkers will contest that if you want the best sparkling wine in the world, you go to Champagne.

I think, as with the rest of the industry, you get what you pay for. The proof is in the pudding so to speak.

Established in 1859 through the merger of two Champagne growers, Duval-Leroy is based in its village of origin, Vertus, one of the top Premier Cru rated areas in Champagne. Handed down from father to son, it has managed to remain independent to this day and is one of few remaining family-owned Champagne houses.

It was in 1855 that Champagne merchant Armand Edouard Leroy discovered the first unofficial ranking of Champagne wines in La Cuisine et le Medecin. He realised then that his trade was evolving. What he needed was a concept that would attract and secure the loyalty of his customers over time.

This new ranking gave him the opportunity to put into practice an idea that had been growing in his mind for years - to present his Champagne wines in a form that would be consistently identifiable, year after year.

But there remained one obstacle to the Leroy family’s ambitions: where to find a winemaker sufficiently meticulous and far-sighted to meet the demands of his concept. Candidates at that time were few and far between. After months of searching, he could only find one House equal to the task - and the name was Duval.

Over the next four years, the two families came to know each other and agree their common objectives. Their destinies were finally united with the 1859 harvest - a year that brought forth so memorably the rewards of passionate vineyard husbandry linked to precise winemaking, and the year that the world was introduced to the unforgettable taste and style that is the unique signature of Duval-Leroy.

This high level of care is evident in the vineyard and the winery. The team take particular care when dividing the juice into fractions and racking the musts off their heavy lees. Alcoholic fermentation is conducted at low, stable temperatures so as to optimise the aromatic complexity. All cuvees undergo malolactic fermentation, developing a characteristic smoothness and the first inklings of those brioche-like aromas.

Every year 250 cuvees are tasted and only 15 will make it into bottle - each one based on the three approved Champagne varietals, selected by roughly 40 different crus.

Today, the House’s reputation has spread to more than 50 different countries, greatly furthered by the 150 Michelin-rated restaurants that share the same passion for uncompromising quality.

Click here to view Duval-Leroy, with 25% off until January while stocks last.

The recession is biting hard in the French wine making industry, with the sales of table wine and Vin de Pays reportedly falling by almost a quarter this year. Naturally, the higher end of the market has also taken a considerable hit, as people are thinking twice before purchasing sparkling wine, with many opting for competitively priced prosecco or cava.

New rules introduced for the 2009 harvest in this prestigious region will mean that more than 40% less Champagne will be produced this year. Stocks are high at the moment, and the basic rule of supply and demand would dictate that price would fall as supply rises and demand tails off, but the powers that be are doing their best to preserve the premium price levels.

The new deal struck will see the basic yield set at 8,000kg/ha (equivalent to around 230m bottles), which is intended to see growers get a fair deal, whilst not adding to the surplus headache of the Champagne houses.

It’s easy to say that Champagne producers need to lower their expectations and start selling at lower prices, but it’s not as easy as that. I believe the rules and regulations surrounding the French appellations help to maintain consistent high standards, whether it’s for an inexpensive white Burgundy or a vintage Champagne. Could that be what makes France the greatest wine making nation on earth?

This of course could be argued either way. My point is that this kind of action helps to protect the region in the long run, whilst ensuring if we want to get our hands on the worlds best sparkling, we know where to go, even if it is at a premium price. Essentially, it helps cut out the rubbish and keeps the bar set high.

France is getting it tough at the moment, but I’ve no fear for the future. Provided they can keep their head above water for the next few years, they’ll once again allow their wine to do the talking. And consumers will nod in agreement.

To view Decanter’s article on Champagne’s new harvest rules, click here.

It’s been gazing at me for a while from our fine wine shelves, and I’ve been sorely tempted to open a bottle myself - but despite temptation I have a strong will, so I’ll be putting it aside, along with Glaetzer’s 100 Parker Point Amon-Ra and Farina’s Monte Fante Amarone for a very special occasion. Maybe Christmas, a big wedding anniversary or Curious Mike’s 40th birthday (hey, at least I see it as a special occasion!)

Duval-Leroy’s 1996 Vintage Champagne is the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to fine sparkling wine. It’s a typical Champagne blend of 75% Pinot and 25% Chardonnay, the latter of which has had a touch of oak for that extra richness and character. After all those years in bottle, it’s acquired outstanding complexity.

Bruce Sanderson: “A tangy citrus and nut-flavoured Champagne with a distinctive gum-tingling sensation. It starts out rich, turning lean and tightly wound on the finish. Fine coffee-tinged after taste.” - Bruce Sanderson writing in Wine Spectator, Top Values and Highly Recommended.

Tom Stevenson: “Over the last 10 years, the quality of Duval-Leroy has soared and for a few years now it has been possible to claim that no other house can beat it for consistency of style - not even the greatest of the great” - Tom Stevenson writing in Decanter magazine.

Wine Spectator: 41st in the Top 100 list in 2006, scoring 93/100

Decanter: 5 Stars

International Wine Challenge 2006 Gold Medal

Vinalles Internationales 2005 Gold Medal

For Mike’s Top 10 Champagne did-you-knows from New Year, click here.

“Come, for I am drinking stars!” -Dom Perignon

You’ve probably been to a party, event or some kind of celebration where sparkling wine was served. If you didn’t like it, the chances are you aren’t drinking the right stuff. Proper sparkling wine isn’t just mass produced carbonated grape juice, dressed up in a pretty yellow price tag on our supermarket shelves. I’m not talking about the sugar-loaded, fizzy alcoholic pop.

Yes, sparklers do start out as regular bubbleless wine. The secret to it all is the second fermentation, which requires the addition of yeast and sugar. A little more alcohol and a lot of heavenly bubbles are a result of this second phase, with the natural carbonation (no dry ice is used for these babies) and complex flavours developing the once still wine into something else all together.

The tank method of fermentation stops the carbon dioxide gas from escaping. It dissolves into the wine, which is bottled under high pressure in order to retain the bubbles.

Bottle fermented wines are more labour intensive and production costs are higher, but when it comes to quality, there are two mains advantages. With the extended contact the wine has with dead yeast, complex bready and biscuity flavours develop. Secondly, the bubbles are much smaller and longer lasting.

According to many, the best sparkling wine in the world is Champagne. And surprise, surprise, it’s made by the traditional bottle fermented method. On top of this, there is the demand. Champagne carries value in its name and you’ll pay for that too. Is it worth it? Personally, yes, but its not an everyday wine. You wouldn’t be opening one in front of Coronation Street on a Monday night. It’s for special occasions. Christmas, birthdays, weddings and so on.

Then we have our less expensive alternatives. Don’t turn your nose up. There are many, many really good sparkling wines, particularly from Spain and Italy, that use the bottle method or the tank method of fermentation. Spanish Cava and Italian Prosecco’s offer beautiful, fruit driven sparklers that are becoming more and more fashionable.

If you’re keen to try an affordable Cava in your next case, don’t miss out on our award winning Mas Macia Cava Brut, currently on sale with the rest of our Spanish range. €14.39 won’t break the bank, and for that special occasion, there’s the Sommelier Gold Listed Lallier Champagne to wipe the floor with any other Champagne within its price range, or the Decanter 5 star Duval Leroy Grand Cru Champagne 1996, which is our true sparkling star.

With St Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it’s time to start planning that all important evening with your loved one. Flowers: check. Oysters: check. Strawberries: check. Biggest bottle of pink champers you can find. Check.

There is another wine however, which would be particularly appropriate on Valentine’s day. The special Beaujolais of St Amour, with an evocative nose and fruity body, is perfect for drinking on a cold winter evening and will go down very well with all meats and cheeses.

The village of St Amour, next to Julienas in the northerly limit of the Beaujolais area, is also the love capital of the world for one night only. On the 14th February, St. Valentine’s Day, all French lovers are invited to the village, reputedly named after a disaffected Roman soldier, Amor.

For those that would rather stick arrows in your leg than catch them from Cupid’s bow, that’s cool too. We’d just like to advise that our mixed cases should not be consumed alone and in the duration of one evening. Otherwise, it could bring a new meaning to the term Love Hurts.

As a little, blog-exclusive, bonus for Curious lovers, we’d like to offer another €5 off our Valentine’s specials. Just enter “curiouslove” at check-out on either or Valentine’s mixed case or our Champers & Truffles gift set and you’re done. Order before 12 noon on Wednesday to guarantee delivery before Saturday, although we should be good up to noon Thursday.

Along the lines that 73% of all statistics are made up, I’m going to make a brash guess that there’ll be as much Champagne drunk tonight around the world as the other 364 days of the year put together.

So what’s the big swizz about the French fizz?

It used to intrigue me why people would happily splash out €40, €50, €100 on a bottle of bubbly when their normal spend on a bottle of plonk was a tenner. And then they’d make a ceremony of opening it, often popping their cork along with half the bottle pretending they were standing on a Formula 1 podium.

So to follow are our top 10 did-you-knows on Champagne. Some you might know already, but hopefully there’s a few that will help you appreciate this great delicacy all the more - and maybe prompt you to take the unopened bottle off the Lewis Hamilton wannabe tonight.

1. Champagne is regulated by the AC (Appellation Controllee) system in France, the strict set of regulations and standards that dictate where, how and from what grapes Champagne is made.

2. Champagne is almost always made from one or a blend of only three grape varieties – Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.

3. Dark skinned Pinot Noir is responsible for the colour in pink Champagne but can still produce crystal clear white Champagnes through removal of the skins prior to fermentation.

4. The bubbles in Champagne are produced by a second fermentation of an already fermented still wine.

5. The particular “méthode traditionnelle” of Champagne production involves performing this second fermentation in bottle, as opposed to in a tank. (It is this method that gives Champagne it’s tiny and long-lasting bubbles.)

6. During the second fermentation, the process of riddling is used to move sediment to the neck of the bottle for removal prior to final corking. Many Champagne houses still perform this task manually, with every bottle individually inverted and shaken every day.

7. One over-riding factor that makes Champagne unique is that the region itself is cold. This part of northern France is just about the limit for growing grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, yet Champagne manages it, with obviously stunning effect.

8. Vintage Champagne is only made by the major Champagne houses 3 or 4 years every decade, depending on the grape-growing conditions that year, and only uses the produce of that year. Non-vintage (NV) Champagne is made every year to a consistent House style, and is made from a blend of multiple years’ produce held in reserve.

9. There are three main zones at the heart of Champagne, each optimal for different grapes and producing different styles. However, the finest Champagne is almost always from a blend across regions, rather than single vineyards or zones.

10. Sparkling wine attracts twice the government duty of regular wine in Ireland - currently a whopping €4.92 a bottle, on which VAT is added (another €1.06, so €5.98 before the check-out scanner has finished its blip).

Unfortunately you’re a bit late for a Curious Champers delivery for this evening, but we’ve still got a silly 20% off all Champagnes and sparkling wines ordered online before midnight tonight, or from our Bandon warehouse until 5.00pm.

Wishing you a happy and peaceful 2009 from all at Curious.