Effervesce Sense: Fragrant citrus on a silver platter

On a very hot day in Knightsbridge, a small group gathered in the morning to taste new releases in the company of Krug’s Cellar Master Julie Cavil. Poured into Krug tasting glasses, The Krug 2013 – described by Cavil as “fragrant citrus on a silver platter” – tasted beautifully precise citrus, clean, linear and long. Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème édition, from the Maison’s oldest plots, carried flavours of lemon, limoncello, dried fruit and marzipan. This delicious duo is also available in Krug’s limited two-bottle case – The Creations of 2013 – an exciting way to compare bottles 12 and 20 years in the making.

Krug’s blending process has always been likened to the harmonics of a symphony. In that, the Krug Grande Cuvée 174ème Édition is blended from 143 wines of 10 different years from 2001 to 2018, giving tremendous length, structure, texture and vibrancy. Toasty aromas, dried fruit, a touch of smoke, mandarin, candied lemon opened to tangerine, beeswax and undertones of slight chocolate bitterness. I sought any flaw and found none. For me right now, this is the ne plus ultra.

This is your very own house champagne

Beguiling and discreet, Idris Elba’s Porte Noire champagne is delicious – a notable stand out amidst celebrity champagnes – and like its owner, it is excellence without ego. Elba and French entrepreneur David Farber were so inspired by the craft at Sanger viticulture school that they created Porte Noire Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2014 Champagne. Then came Porte Noire Petite Porte Rose NV Champagne, Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV Champagne and Extra Brut Champagne, designed as superb champagnes for daily celebrations. The one I tasted, Porte Noire Extra Brut Champagne NV, is precise and delicate with citrus, chalk, stone and brioche with a lovely length. This is your very own house champagne. Taste the whole range at Porte Noire, Elba’s restaurant.

The Definitive Champagne Tasting by the Champagne Agents Association feels like the Academy luncheon before The Oscars: all the stars are here. Across 54 tables, Champagne dreams were laid before me; greatest hits and new classics. Favourites like Cattier Cuvée Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru with its 400 years of family heritage, are producing wines that are approachable and moreish. Their Cuvée Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru – peach, pear and velvety citrus – vied with the astonishing Abelé 1757 Brut 2013 and Brut Rosé. Gosset Celebris Blanc de Blancs 2012 and Gosset Zero Dosage were astounding. Barons de Rothschild Triptyque 2019 in magnum proved extremely succulent. The last bottle I tried was the unforgettable Yann Alexandre Sous-Les-Roses Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut 2018 from Scala Wines – flowers, music and being in love, in rosé.

Global domination in premium no-alcohol sparkling wine is the focus of French Bloom. Co-founded by Constance Jablonski and Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger after four years of R&D, French Bloom organic premium sparkling wine that is no alcohol from inception, no sulphites, preservatives or added sugar. Coming in NV extra brut, brut and rosé, French Bloom has Le Cuvée Vintage 2022 and Le Cuvée Vintage 2023 for a high-end experience. It’s doesn’t taste like champagne; smelling of honey and beeswax, it tastes of a fruity halo that hints at alcohol. There is also the very friendly Zeno, an award-winning “prestige liberated wine”. A bit like cava, serve it cold as a cheery, pretty tasty party popper.

You may have seen the latest release Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rosé 2018 on the shelves and this is the rosé you should try tasting first with your eyes. Ruby with golden flashes heighten what is already a stellar rosé. Made with Pinot Noir from the “Clos Colin” parcel, the flavour is intense yet fine. It has well balanced tannins, a very present acidity and a touch of bitterness flows into a silky long finish – one of the summer’s most delectable rosé champagnes.

You know the name but maybe not the champagne. Purchased in 1979 by The Rapeneau family – champagne makers themselves since 1901, G H Martel & Co have a new distributor in Gonzáles Byass UK. This means you’ll see more bottles of G H Martel, Maison Vieille France and Cuvée Victoire champagnes. Under the auspices of Jean-Remy Rapeneau, family owner and export director, I tasted the Gold medalist 2007 Champagne Vieille France Vintage Brut, a blend of 56% Pinot Noir 44% Chardonnay from Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs. Taste stone fruit, fig, flowers with a tight minerality from a rather spiffing silver bottle. Or the Champagne G. H. Martel Brut Prestige, 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 20% Meunier with 10g dosage, offering buttery, saline and mineral notes.

Australian tycoon Robert Oatley had two passions – sailing and wine. His Wildflower Brut Cuvee NV from Western Australia is endearing; 100% Chardonnay with a nifty graphic of 12,000 species of wildflowers. This light-bodied, medium length sparkling wine tastes vegetal at first then opens to mandarin, honeysuckle and a pinch of grapefruit.

Twisting the TFL slogan, if you see something, taste something

South African Cap Classique is always worth trying. The award-winning Graham Beck Pinot Noir Rosé 2019 is blueberries, a little spice, a touch of raspberry and honeysuckle just outside your open window. It fits the rule that you can’t go wrong with any bottle of Graham Beck if it has a year on it: Ultra Brut 2018 (7 years on lees, fresh, dry, crisp), Blanc de Blancs 2020 (lively, zippy) and, of course, their utterly unmissable famous Cuvée Clive both 2019 and 2015, the latter spending 10 years on lees. Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rosé 2023 goes large on Pinot Noir but is easy on the palate while Simonsig Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique 2018 is buttery rich. Klein Constantia Blanc de Blancs 2021, the first zero dosage of this vintage, tastes of ripe stone fruit and subtle pastry. I’m a big fan of Klein Zalze which make consistently subtle Cap Classique wines. Kleine Zalze Cap Classique Chardonnay/Pinot Noir NV tiptoes to your tongue then blossoms into flowers and fruits – a lovely personality that just needs a moment.

Think you’ve tasted everything? There’s the CEE Wine Fair to prove you haven’t.  Organised by Caroline Gilby MW and Zsuzsa Toronyi with Island Media PR, this is 43 tables of wines from Moldova, Armenia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia. MW Beth Willard’s masterclass dived into 11 different CEE sparklers and from those I liked Slovenia’s Istenič Cuvée Natura – a refined extra brut is crafted with Chardonnay and rare Rumeni Plavec grapes with 3 years on lees and Dveri Pax Brut, 96 months on lees, traditional method, is a load of fresh fruit on fine sparkles.

Twisting the TFL slogan, if you see something, taste something. There are sparkling wines wherever you go. At a recent launch of the wines of Lugana, Italy, I tasted one classical method sparkler made from Turbiana, the famous grape of Lugana region. Deep golden colour with a creamy mousse, Zenato has soft beads and a creamy rich, lightly fruity taste. But don’t think prosecco or cocktail. This deserves a glass all its own. C