Effervesce Sense | Sparkling expectations

Whether you drink it or not, the transformation of a grape into something more is aligned with the very best of human endeavour. This is why wine is celebratory and associated with fine things. For example, Beronia Rioja made such an elegant partnership with Curzon Cinemas for the 2024 Ivory Christmas film season. Sponsoring showings of A Room with a View, Howards End, The Remains of the Day as well as Merchant Ivory, the documentary by Stephen Soucy, these films were shown at various Curzons around the country, and, with an added glass or two of good quality Rioja, served as a refreshing alternative to this season’s big film releases Wicked, Conclave, Queer and The Brutalist.

This season I’d like to highlight two favourites

Despite the lengthy and difficult process to make it, Champagne houses are always coming up with incredible releases, and the more you know about how they’re made to taste the way they do, the more you’ll appreciate their artistry. This season I’d like to highlight two favourites, one each from Moët & Chandon and Henriot. The astonishing Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection 20 is the 67th Grand Vintage since 1842 with all of the traditional complexity to be expected from an ultra-brut aged for 24 years. It’s a stupendous, momentous bottle but it’s also extremely fun to drink. The latest release from Henriot – one of my personal favourites – is Henriot L’inattendue 2018. For English speakers out there, the “Unexpected” is 100% Chardonnay in an elegant and exotic style. Flavours of pineapple and vanilla mix with just that tiny hint of petrol – yes, petrol – and it works. Expect a generous, velvety texture with surprising freshness. This is a bottle that will only improve with age.

Wine is full of surprises, often smelling like one thing, tasting like another. There are times when a bottle you buy with regularity does something different: there’s a honey note you didn’t notice previously or a slightly more mineral aspect. Then, there is the bottle you discover which also has unexpectedly delicious brothers, sisters and a big uncle of whom you did not know. Not all wine outlets stock everything in a range which is why the experience of tasting Bouvet Ladubay was revelatory.

Presented by CEO Juliette Monmousseau the fourth generation of winemakers from this house, this well-planned tasting offered six stunning bottles from the largest producer of méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine in Saumur. Bouvet Ladubay is also France’s most awarded house, outside of Champagne, for the quality of its cuvées. Those of us who shop at Majestic or Nicolas will know Bouvet Saumur Brut well. Who would enjoy that lusty Chenin flavour with a dosage of 10g/l which rounds out the husky tones and lends a frisky feel to this already very fun and versatile sparkling wine.

Often simply called Bouvet, the sparkling wines made there are not crémants as such. Bouvet Ladubay has positioned itself as makers of the kind of bottle you always want around. (One friend keeps six in her cellar no matter what.) But seek out the bottles that aren’t always on the shelf. The one crémant in this group – Bouvet Crémant de Loirs Blanc de Blancs 2022 – is an ideal aperitif, with a hint of citrus and a whiff of spring flower and lime blossom. With blends mainly of Chenin, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, the range is impressive. While it is rare to find Bouvet Saumur in a rosé, it does exist. Made from Cabernet Franc with a dosage of 10g/l, it’s fresh, bright and softly fruity. With a slightly heightened sense of excitement, I admit I loved the Bouvet Trésor Saumur Brut 2022, a delectable Chenin/Chardonnay blend with 9g/l. The newest of these extremely popular sparklers is the Bouvet Trésor Saumur Brut 2020. Oak barrel-aged, it’s a Chenin Chardonnay blend that is succulent and surprising, with higher highs and lower lows than other vintages. The range and length of this bottle is extraordinary. And although it’s not available in the UK, Bouvet Ladubay Ogmius Saumur Brut 2015 is really worth finding. Yes, it is oak barrel aged with a fine dosage of 8g/l yet only 3852 magnums  of this have been produced – all of which would find a special place at mine if that were possible. The name is also intriguing: Ogmius is a Celtic god of eloquence, often described as an older and more tanned version of Hercules. He’s also said to be a psychopomp, “a conductor of souls to the afterworld”. Could there be any other bottle to suit your holiday or even for the celebrations of next year?

And now for me, I’ll be settling down to a friend’s cellar deep in the American heartland tasting some equally surprising, in a good way, Pinot Blanc Pet Nat from Napa. It’s easy to forget that there’s a whole world of flavours out there, waiting to be tasted, ho ho ho. C